Harry Potter and the Seven Dragons of Hogwarts
by Lady Northwind
Summary: The time of the Great Dragons is coming to an end, but the last seven members of this ancient and noble race have found a way to continue to protect mankind. With help from Merlin and the Founders of Hogwarts, the last of the Great Dragons bind their souls and magic to the school. There they will reside until those that are worthy call them to fulfill their role as protectors.
1. And So It Has Come

Chapter 1: And So It Has Come

In the days of Merlin his four greatest students came together with the purpose of creating a school where all those who were able could learn to use magic. This school became known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school's four founders, Helga Hufflepuff; Rowena Ravenclaw; Godric Gryffindor; and Salazar Slytherin, were extremely proud of their school, but had some concerns about its security. They could not build wards strong enough to protect all of who dwelled within it's grounds from the upheavals going on in the outside world.

To secure their school and protect those who lived within its grounds, the founders called upon Merlin himself for help. Merlin came to the school and set up wards to protect the castle, however, the grounds were still not protected enough. Merlin then decided to reach out to some old friends of his. These friends of Merlin's were well known for their strength, both physical and magical, but most people feared them and wished them dead. Merlin's friends were the last of the Great Dragons. Dragons of such power and intelligence that they could speak and understand any language, they could read and write, and they had the ability to pass their magic onto their descendants making them increasingly more powerful with each generation. The Great Dragons considered themselves to be the protectors of the world, and yet the world wanted them gone.

The Great Dragons had been hunted to near extinction; of the hundreds that once roamed the earth, only seven remained. They were known as Andraste, Bran, Louarn, Brigantia, Taranis, Innogen, and Vercobret. Merlin had helped them to hide when the people began to turn against them and as such they owed him their very lives. So, when Merlin called they came.

"You have called to us Merlin and we have answered. What would you have of us?" asked Bran.

"This land needs protecting old friend. No matter how hard we try we cannot make wards strong enough to protect the land around this school. As long as this land is unprotected all who dwell here will be in danger." Merlin told the noble dragon.

"I see. We will need time to find the best way to protect this place. We will begin at once." Bran stated and signaled for the others to begin.

"Thank you, my old friend. You have my gratitude." Merlin responded.

"We owe you a great deal Merlin, but do not think our help comes without a cost. We shall speak more of this when we have decided the best way to protect this school of yours." Bran said as he left to follow the others.

"There always is a greater cost, my friend, there always is." Merlin mumbled as he walked back to the school.

It took the dragons three days to look over the grounds and come up with the best protections possible for the area around the school. During that time people had noticed them and had sent word to others that there were Great Dragons that still lived. Hunters began to make the trek to the school to have a chance at killing one of these magnificent creatures and at that time the dragons themselves knew that they would not survive the coming hunt if things did not go according to plan. With such thoughts on their minds they called out to Merlin to meet with them again. Merlin and the Founders made their way out onto the grounds to meet with the dragons and to see what they had come up with.

"Greetings mighty Bran, what news do you have for us?" called out Godric Gryffindor as the five witches and wizards approached.

"We have come up with a way to protect this school of yours, young one." Bran responded.

"What is this plan of yours then?" Salazar Slytherin demanded.

"Watch your tone young Slytherin. That is our king you speak to." Vercobret snapped at the arrogant young man.

"Forgive Salazar, great Vercobret, he is just worried about the safety of the school; in truth we all are." Helga Hufflepuff stated as she tried to pacify the irritated dragon before her.

"We share your concern, sweet Helga. Vercobret has always had a bit of a temper but he means nothing by it." Brigantia said to soothe, not just Helga, but all the humans.

"As enlightening as all of this is, Merlin mentioned something about a price." stated Rowena Ravenclaw, every the practical one of the four.

"Yes, the wards we plan to cast will be unbreakable by any witch or wizard for somewhere around one thousand years, but the casting of these wards will severely weaken us and without the five of you helping us we will not survive what is to come after." Andraste stated sadly.

"After? What do you mean, after?" Merlin asked slightly alarmed by what he had heard.

"Dear Andraste has seen what is to come if you do not help us. The hunters know we are here and draw closer even as we speak. We will be too weak to defend ourselves for long once the wards are cast. We will all die here unless you help us." Louarn stated.

"My friends, how could they know you are here? None of us have spoken a word of your presence to anyone." Merlin asked.

"We are the last of the Great Dragons and as such are not hard to spot. The moment we left our hiding place to come to your aid was the moment that we died." Innogen spat. She was the youngest of the seven dragons and had been the last Great Dragon hatched and as such she was still somewhat bitter about the betrayal of humans.

"I am so sorry to hear that my friends, what can we do to help you?" Merlin asked, there was no question that Merlin and his students would help the dragons survive.

"There is a ritual that will trap us within your school until those who are worthy of our power are born into this world. Our souls and our magic will then merge with these worthy few as if they were our children. If you agree to this I will pass the knowledge directly into your minds, so you can get started on the ritual while we cast the wards." Taranis spoke for the first time, his aged voice relaying his great wisdom and power.

"Of course, we will help you. It is our fault that you are being hunted again, so it is our responsibility to help you survive." Helga exclaimed.

"Make no mistake Helga, we will still die, but this way we can pass on our knowledge and create a new race of dragons. One that can take human form and protect this world as our kind have been sworn to do." Bran replied.

"No matter. We will do what we must to not only protect our students but all of you as well." Godric said, meaning every word.

"I believe I can speak for everyone when I say we are more than ready to help you all in any way we can so let us begin." Salazar stated.

"Very well, let us begin." Taranis stated before transferring the knowledge required to the five witches and wizards before them.

Once the knowledge had been transferred the Founders and Merlin made their way into the castle to begin the ritual and the dragons moved to begin casting the wards. Once the wards had been cast the dragons collapsed in exhaustion they barely had the strength left to drag their tired bodies close enough to the castle for the ritual to work, but they managed. Once the dragons were in place the Founders and Merlin began the ritual. As the ritual began all the people in the area could hear the pained, screaming roars of the dragons as they were sealed within the school. When the ritual ended the Founders and Merlin went out onto the grounds to tend to the bodies of the last of the Great Dragons. For all the pain that they went through the dragons merely appeared to be sleeping. So, the Founders and Merlin shrunk the bodies down and hid them within the school in a place where only those who were worthy would be able to find them.


	2. Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 2: Awakening

Over time the world forgot the truth about the Great Dragons, even the magical world. They became little more than myths and legends. Not even the Headmasters and Headmistresses that came after the Founders knew about the dragons that were contained within the school. Merlin and the Founders had kept the knowledge to themselves and together they decided to fill the room containing the shrunken bodies of the dragons with the knowledge that they felt would help the young dragon hybrids when they finally came to the school. Merlin and each of the Founders created their own separate entrance to the room, which they had named the Chamber of Hope. Merlin's entrance was called the Observatory and was located in the Astronomy Tower. Helga's was called the Den and was located between the Hufflepuff Dorms and the Kitchen. Rowena's was called the Heart of Knowledge and was located in the Library. Godric's was called the Hall of Courage and was located at the end of a little used corridor on the third floor. Finally, Salazar's was called The Chamber of Secrets and was located beneath the lake and was accessed by way of a girl's restroom.

Each entrance had a challenge to gain entrance. To gain entrance to the Observatory you had to solve a puzzle involving a model of the solar system. For the Den you had to find all of the clues to fairly judge a mock trial. To enter the Heart of Knowledge someone would have to answer many difficult and challenging riddles. The Hall of Courage required a person to face off against their worst fear to get through. The Chamber of Secrets required a person to not only be a Parselmouth, but to also match their wits with three separate guardians, the first of which was a Basilisk.

Merlin and the Founders put additional security on the Chamber of Hope itself, to make sure only the ones that were chosen were allowed entrance. Since they knew that the chosen ones would be both human and dragon, they sealed the Chamber of Hope with a mixture of human and dragon blood. This way only someone who had a similar combination of blood could enter and receive the knowledge stored within.

The Chamber of Hope had also been designed as a safe haven for the new hybrids should they need it. Not only were there books and scrolls filled with information that the hybrids would need, there were also beds and couches and chairs. There was a kitchen area that could be stocked with plenty of food and a dining area to eat at. There were desks, torches, candles and candle stands, rugs, throw pillows and blankets. There were fireplaces, and even a boys and girls bathroom. The Chamber contained everything that they could think of that these chosen few could need, including portraits of each of them to provide guidance when the time came. Now, all that was left was to wait.

So, with everything prepared Merlin and the Founders went on with their lives. They knew, without having been told, that the dragons would not rise again within their lifetimes and they doubted it would happen in their children's lifetimes either. What they did not know was that it would take around one thousand years for the dragons to be awakened and begin to rise once more.

The first to awaken was Brigantia, whose brave heart and thirst for knowledge settled within a baby girl who was born into a family without magic. The next to awaken was Vercobret, his firey temper and cunning mind were situated within a baby boy born to a woman who would, eventually, have more husbands than children. Andraste was the next to awaken, her noble mind and heart made their home within a baby girl whose early life was marred by tragedy. Louarn was next, his cunning mind and sharp wit came to reside within a baby boy whose father had decided to bow down to a pretender. Bran and Taranis awoke on the same day and laid claim to two baby boys whose lives had been marked by prophecy. Finally, Innogen lived up to her name and was once again the last born, claiming a baby girl who, like her parents, was a bit odd.

The guardians of these children, because not all of them got to grow up with their parents, would never know just how special they truly were. Some could care less as they had never wanted the little freak in the first place. Some would wonder at the strange things that would happen around their little girl. Some would only see the child's parents and never the child. Most would wonder at the strange names that the children had for their imaginary friends, never knowing that the dragons were speaking to the children and doing what little they could to guide and protect them until the time came for them to fulfill their destinies.


	3. The Girl Who Knew Too Much

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 3: The Girl Who Knew Too Much

Hermione Granger couldn't ever remember a time when Brigantia was not with her. She spoke to her quite often and was always very kind. Her parents thought that she had made Brigantia up, they even went so far as to call her Hermione's imaginary friend and tried to include Brigantia in some activities. Hermione just called them silly and went on with what she was doing. Brigantia had already warned her not to tell people that she could only hear Brigantia in her mind. So, she told no one and put up with her parents silliness.

It wasn't until she got a bit older her parents began to give her funny looks that she realized that it would be best if she stopped talking to Brigantia out loud and eventually she stopped talking about Brigantia altogether, which made her parents happy. Hermione didn't understand what the big deal was, Brigantia was her friend and her parents always wanted her to have friends.

"It's not so much about the two of us being friends, Hermione. It's more the fact that they cannot see or hear me like you can." Brigantia told the young girl in her mind.

"Why does that even matter, Brigantia? Why do they have to treat me differently because they cannot see you?" Hermione asked mentally.

"Because they do not know how special you are, young one. For your protection, they must never know what you truly are." Brigantia responded gravely.

"They're already going to find out that I'm a witch, why can't they also know that I'm part dragon?" Hermione asked again.

"Because humans are not very accepting of our kind, sweet one. The Great Dragons were once a mighty race and were brought down by humans. Only through magic and the help of some very dear friends were we able to keep our legacy alive enough to find you and six others like you to carry on." Brigantia answered, not wanting to go into detail about the hunts that had claimed most of her kin.

"I'm sorry about the Great Dragons Brigantia. I didn't know." Hermione stated sadly.

"It's alright, my little Hermione, you could not have known. Such events have long been forgotten." Brigantia responded, trying to comfort the young child.

"You said there were six others like me; do I get to meet them?" Hermione asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I was wondering if you had caught that. To answer your question, yes you will get to meet them, but not yet." Brigantia answered, with a small laugh at the end.

"When will I get to meet them and how will I know who they are?" Hermione figured she needed to know so she could be prepared.

"You will most likely meet them at the school I told you about. As for know who they are, you will be able to sense them and they will be able to sense you. You will all be draw together because you are the only others of your kind and will find comfort in each other." Brigantia informed Hermione.

"I guess that makes sense in a way." Hermione mumbled while thinking about what she had been told.

"Do not think too hard on it, dear one. It will happen when it happens. It will be an instinct that you won't be able to ignore. But, enough of that for now. How about we go to the library? I know it's your favorite place and mine as well." Brigantia said trying to distract Hermione from her worried thoughts.

"Yes! That is a great idea Brigantia. I love the library so much; there is so much to read and learn. I don't know how I could read it all." Hermione exclaimed in excitement. Brigantia merely chuckled in the girl's head as Hermione got her things together and asked her parents to take her to the library.

That conversation had been two years ago, when Hermione was only nine years old. Today, however, was the one of the days that Hermione had been looking forward to ever since Brigantia had told her about who and what she was. Today Hermione received her Hogwarts letter. Hermione's parents thought it was a joke at first that is until someone from the school came and informed them that it was true. Their little girl was a witch and they were completely blown away. They didn't think they would have been able to handle everything if it wasn't for the stern woman who was their guide. The Grangers would forever be thankful to Minerva McGonagall for helping them through everything as they were introduced to the wizarding world. The stern woman had even been able to keep Hermione from spending every last cent they had on books, which was quite the achievement.

Hermione, on the other hand, was thrilled to finally be able to enter the world she was always meant to be a part of. She had a wonderful time, even if that McGonagall woman had not let her get all of the books she wanted. She would just get them later, she reasoned, and Brigantia agreed with her. Hermione was impressed by how well her parents were taking everything, Brigantia mumbled something about shock but Hermione wasn't really paying attention. After she had got all of her school supplies McGonagall saw them safely home and gave Hermione instructions on how to get to onto Platform 9 ¾ on September the first. It was only a couple of weeks away but Hermione couldn't wait. She went to sleep that night and dreamed about what it would be like at Hogwarts.


	4. The Boy With Too Many Fathers

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 4: The Boy With Too Many Fathers

Growing up Blaise Zabini knew only two things that were true, no matter what happened. One that whoever his current father was he wouldn't be around for long. Two that his guardian, Vercobret, would always be there for him. The second was mainly because the ancient dragon's soul resided inside of him and the first because his mother's husbands had a bad habit of showing up dead. Either way both of these things were more constant in his life than his mother ever was.

His mother was always too busy to spend time with him, preferring to leave him in the care of an assortment of nannies, tutors, and house elves. She was either with her men, her money, or her friends. Blaise didn't care much, mainly because it is what he was used to. In fact, as he got older, he made it a game to see how quickly he could get people to quit. His mother didn't have the best skills when it came to hiring people and it didn't help that Blaise's game had earned him a bad reputation among the witches and wizards that worked as nannies and tutors. Blaise, on the other hand, had always been a good judge of people. He was taught by the best after all.

In the old days it had been Vercobret's job to judge cases that had been brought before the counsel of Great Dragons. Vercobret, and others like him, were chosen for this position for their ability to read others and accurately guess at their intentions. He had begun instructing Blaise in this skill from the very first moment that he could. Blaise had taken to the teaching like a fish to water. For example; Blaise had figured out that his first tutor had only taken the job to try to get his mother to marry him so he could get his hands on her fortune. Blaise had gone out and gathered as many garden snakes as he could and slipped them into the man's bedroom overnight. Needless to say he ran from the house screaming the next morning and never stepped foot on the property again. Blaise may not spend much time with his mother, or think that he even really loved her, but he was fond of her and was not about to let someone take advantage of her.

His mother, Mariana, had come to rely on Blaise's unique talent to see if any man she was seeing was worthy of her time. If Blaise truly did not like, or trust, one of them she would send them packing and move on to the next man. It was just her kind of luck that her husband's kept meeting with misfortune, which, incidentally, added to her own great fortune every time. One would think that men would stop wanting to marry her, but it never took her long to convince another man to take the risk and become her husband. The only one of her husbands that she had actually loved was her first husband, Blaise's father, who had been poisoned by his own brother, who had hoped to inherit the Zabini family fortune. What Blaise's uncle hadn't counted on was Mariana being pregnant at the time of her husband's death, which meant that the child she carried would become the new heir for the Zabini family. All of Mariana's other husbands became tools by which Mariana was able to grow her fortune that she would eventually leave to her only child.

Blaise became aware at a very early age that his mother merely used men to get what she wanted, but what he didn't understand was that Mariana did this all to insure his future. He was of the opinion that Mariana did not care much for him as this is why he did not believe that he loved his mother. He figured that if she did not show him love and affection, then he should not love her or be affectionate to her either. Little did he know that his mother loved him more than anything and only did what she thought she had to so that he could have the life that she believed he deserved.

Speaking of his mother and what she believed he deserved; Mariana thought that Blaise deserved the finest education that money could buy and she was not convinced that Hogwarts was the answer. This caused Blaise to worry as he wanted nothing more than to attend Hogwarts. If only for the fact that he knew he would finally be able to meet others that were like him.

"Vercobret what if she doesn't let me go to Hogwarts and I don't get to meet the others?" Blaise asked the ancient dragon.

"Do not worry so much, child. If you make it clear to your mother that you want nothing more than to attend Hogwarts, she will let you." Vercobret answered the anxious child.

"How can you be so sure? She has only ever done what she wanted to do with no concern for me or what I want." Blaise stated.

"Child, you may have learned much about how to read another's intentions, but I am still more skilled than you. You cannot see what I can. Your mother will do as you ask. If you do not trust in her, then trust in me when I say this." Vercobret replied, having long ago devised the reasoning behind Mariana's actions.

"I will trust in what you say, for now. But, if you're proved to be wrong you'll have to teach me that trick where you make it seem like you're reading someone's mind." Blaise ceded, still expecting to have his mother choose a different school for him to attend.

"I was going to teach you that when you were older, but I see no harm in making this deal. After all, I know that I am right." Vercobret agreed. He felt no need to extract anything on his own behalf because he felt that Blaise's trust would be more than enough for him. It would be important in coming days for the boy to trust him and, more importantly, have confidence in that he only spoke the truth.

The next morning at breakfast, Blaise received several letters accepting him to various magical schools, but the only one he cared about was the one from Hogwarts. His mother, of course, was gushing over the amount of letters he received and kept trying to get him to look at what the other schools had said. Blaise finally felt that it was time to let his mother know what he wanted for a change and see if Vercobret was right.

"Mother I don't want to go to any of these other schools. I want to go to Hogwarts." He told her.

"But, Blaise, some of these other schools are so much better. I mean Durmstrang is very highly rated, as are Beauxbatons, Mahoutokoro, and the Salem Institute of Magic. Surely one of them would be better." Mariana said, trying to coax her son into looking into the other schools. She was not impressed with the way Hogwarts was being run and wanted only the best for Blaise.

"No, Mother. I don't want to go to any of the other schools. I want to go to Hogwarts. I want to go to the same school that you and my father went to and I want to have a chance at knowing at least one other person going to school with me so I'm not all alone." He shouted, having become more than simply frustrated with his mother's attempts to get him to reconsider going to Hogwarts.

"Blaise, I had no idea you felt so strongly on the matter. I thought you were merely being stubborn. If it is truly that important to you we will owl back to Hogwarts at once and inform them of your upcoming attendance." Mariana replied in shock. She had no idea that her son felt so strongly about a place he had only briefly heard of.

"Thank you, Mother. I apologize for shouting. I let my frustration get the better of me. I would like it very much if we could send the letter right away." Blaise stated, making sure that he sounded genuine.

"I accept your apology Blaise. Now, go get dressed appropriately. As soon as I have sent the letter off to Hogwarts we will leave to get your school shopping done. Better to get it done early so we don't have to deal with all of the last minute shoppers." Mariana said as she got up and began walking out of the room toward her office so she could write and send the letter.

"Yes, Mother." Blaise responded politely and got up to head to his room to get dressed.

Blaise couldn't believe that Vercobret was right about his mother letting him go to Hogwarts. He was sure that she would make him go to a school of her choosing and he would be miserable. But, as he reached his room and began getting dressed he realized that he was finally going to be going to Hogwarts, where he would meet the others that were like him. He had known from a very young age that he was different than others and that he just didn't fit in with most other children. Vercobret had told him about his heritage and hinted a bit about him having a destiny. Now it was all starting to happen, and he couldn't be happier. He would finally be able to be with his own kind and would finally have a true family. No more distant mother and no more fake fathers. No longer would he be alone in the world and he couldn't wait for September the first.


	5. The Girl With A Most Tragic Past Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 5: The Girl With A Most Tragic Past Part One

Cressida Valaris was no stranger to hard times and tragedy. You could almost say that tragedy seems to be her birthright. In the last wizarding war Cressida's family had tried to stay neutral and avoid any conflict. At the time there were only three members left of the once great Valaris family Cressida's Uncle, Mars; Cressida's Aunt, Europa; and Cressida's Mother, Leda. Leda and her siblings hoped that by staying out of the conflict they would be able to stay alive and, in Leda's case, carry on the Valaris name. None of the three siblings had married and when it became apparent that even the oldest of the pureblood families were being targeted, Leda decided that she needed to have a child to carry on the family name and uphold the family traditions. So, she went abroad to find a suitable wizard to give her the child she desired. Once she knew that she was pregnant she returned home. If only she had known what was in store for her family back home, perhaps then she would not have returned until the fighting was over.

It had not gone without noticed that Leda was pregnant, both sides had heard and tried to convince the Valaris siblings to join them. They refused and stated that they wanted no part of the conflict. The Light side, led by Albus Dumbledore, were not happy with the decision but respected the sibling's wishes to remain neutral. Voldemort, the leader of the Dark side, was furious at being refused. While he had gained many followers from well respected, pureblood families, he knew that winning over the Valaris family would bring many more over to his side. He knew that many of the families that remained neutral had done so because the Valaris family had. With this in mind he decided to punish them and ordered his followers to capture Europa. He hoped to use Europa, who was barely out of Hogwarts, to blackmail Mars into joining him. However, Europa proved to be a greater challenge than he had thought she would be. She managed to escape the group of Death Eaters that he had sent to capture her and informed her other two siblings of what had happened. After that all three siblings were on guard at all times.

The Dark Lord once again tried to get the siblings to join his ranks and once again the siblings refused. This time the expected Voldemort to retaliate and tried to prepare themselves for an attack, while at the same time making plans to flee the country until the conflict was over. What they were not expecting was to have their home invaded in the middle of the night. Leda and Europa managed to escape while Mars tried to fight off the swarm of Death Eaters. Mars was a very accomplished wizard and a dueling champion, but there were too many of them for him to fight at once. Leda and Europa wept bitterly when they were given news of their brother's death, but were still as determined as ever to not join the man that had ordered his death.

So, with the pain of their brother's death fresh on their minds, they went into hiding, Leda hoping that they would finally be left in peace and that she could have her child in relative safety. Europa, on the other hand, burned with a hatred so fierce that she could hardly contain it. She wanted to avenge her brother but at the same time she knew she needed stay and protect Leda. However, when an opportunity arose for Europa to take down one of Voldemort's Death Eaters she could not pass it up. She had been walking through Diagon Alley, under a glamour, when she saw a boy she used to go to school with who she knew was a Death Eater. She followed him, intending to isolate him and kill him. He turned down a side street and Europa followed only to be see a jet of green light making its way toward her. She knew that spell only too well and knew she would never see her sister again. As the Killing Curse made contact with her body, Europa crumbled into a heap and her glamour gave way. When Voldemort heard of the death of two of the Valaris siblings he grew enraged at his followers. They had been instructed to capture them, not kill them. He knew now that the only option he had left was to find the last sibling and kill her as well. If she did not die he had no doubt that she would join with Dumbledore and bring her fury to bear on him and his followers.

Leda was inconsolable in her grief. Both of her siblings were dead and she had nowhere to turn to. In this moment she thought again of her child's father and wondered if she should leave the country and find him again. Leda knew that it would be the best thing for her child if she got out of the country quickly and went into hiding as far from Britain as she could go, but it was not to be. As Leda was finalizing her plans to once again leave her home, she was attacked. She managed to kill the Death Eater that had attacked her, but not before being hit with a cutting curse of some kind. She tried to heal the wound, but it would not heal and she was losing time, and blood. She didn't think she had the strength to make it to St. Mungo's so she stumbled forward into the street trying to catch anyone's attention.

A Muggle cab driver was the first to notice her and quickly got her inside his cab and raced to the closest Muggle hospital. He honestly did not believe that the heavily pregnant woman that he found would make it to the hospital, but was relieved when he got there and she was indeed still alive. Leda was quickly taken into the hospital where they were able to stop the bleeding and make sure that Leda and the baby were fine. However, it was in this moment that Leda went into labor. Already weakened by her encounter with the Death Eater, Leda knew she would not survive and made the hospital staff aware that they were to save her child at all costs. She also let one of the nurses know that she wished for the child to be named Cressida if it was a girl and Jupiter if it was a boy. The nurse assured her that it would be so and that they would do what was needed to save her child. And so, a month before she was due to make her appearance, Cressida Valaris entered the world. Leda lived through the birth of her daughter but died shortly after, never having the chance to hold her beautiful girl.

Not having any next-of-kin to take the child in the hospital had no choice but to call child services. Cressida Valaris, last of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Valaris, ended up in the foster system where she was bounced around from one home to the next because there was something that just wasn't right with the child. She would talk to herself as if she was having a conversation in her head with another person and sometimes odd things would happen around her. Cressida learned quickly to not get attached to any one family because sooner or later they would send her packing. By the time she was seven she had been in over 50 homes. By ten that number had more than doubled. Cressida knew that she did not belong with these people, Andraste had told her so. Some of them were nice and she had a hard time not becoming attached, but she knew that they would never be able to be what she needed them to be. What she needed as a family that was just like her, or at least somewhat similar to her. She knew that she wouldn't find anyone exactly like her until she went to that school that Andraste kept telling her about, but she also knew that if she could somehow end up in a magical household she might be able to have a chance at finding a real family.

So, she decided to go looking for a magical family to take her in. She packed her things and took all of the money that her current foster family thought they had carefully hid away and left. She didn't even fell the slightest bit bad about it; the Dad was a drunk and the Mum wasn't much better, only she had at least hidden some money away to pay bills instead of spending it all on booze. At ten years old Cressida, or Sida as she liked to be called, was living on the streets, trying to avoid anyone that might try to put her back in the system, while at the same time trying to find some trace of the magical community she knew had to be somewhere.

"Why do they have to make it so hard to find Andy?" Sida asked.

"Because they do not want the non-magicals to find them, child." Andraste replied, already used to the young girl shortening her noble name.

"I understand that, but why can't they make it easier for other magicals to find?" Sida snapped, growing frustrated with her lack of success.

"If you look around you might notice that you have unintentionally stumbled across the very thing you seek." Andraste responded with mirth.

"What do you mean?" Sida demanded.

"Look behind you, child. The building you are leaning against is unseen by the non-magicals. If you enter you will find what you seek." Andraste stated, still amused that the normally observant child had not noticed that others around her did not really even look at the shabby pub that she was leaning against.

"You're right Andy! No one can see the pub and with the amount of time that I've been here you would think at least one person would have entered but they haven't. How could I miss something like this?" Sida exclaimed in frustration.

"Do not be so hard on yourself, young one. It is hard to see what others cannot." Andraste said, hoping that the girl understood.

"I know Andy, but I still feel that I should have noticed sooner." Sida replied, still upset at the fact that she didn't notice.

"Well are you going to go in, or would you rather sit out here and pout all day?" Andraste asked, hoping to rile the girl up and get her moving forward instead of moping.

"Of course I'm going in, Andy! Did you honestly think I was going to waste an entire day just standing here? At the very least I would need to scrounge up some money for food and of course I should be back in the hideout before dark." Sida replied with sass.

At that Sida made her way into the building and into the magical world. The first adult to spot her was Tom, the owner of the pub called The Leaky Cauldron. He asked her where her parents were and she told him that she didn't have any. When he asked her what she meant she told him what she knew; that her mother died when she was born and that her father was nowhere to be found. Old Tom felt bad for the girl and asked her if she was hungry, not that he needed to ask because the child looked half starved. When Sida said she was, the kind old barkeep led her to a private dining room and brought her some food. He told her to eat all she wanted and that it was on the house. He hoped that the child would be kept occupied long enough for him to put in a fire call to the Ministry. Surely someone had to know this child and be looking for her. When he made the call he got in touch with the Office of Wizarding Orphans and told them about the girl that had wondered in from the street. They sent a representative right away, even if the child turned out to be a Muggleborn, it would be better to send the child back to a wizarding family than a Muggle one. Tom led the representative back to the room the girl was in and then left, knowing that the kind witch that had come would take care of the little girl.

"Hello, my name is Gwendolyn Davies and what is your name?" The representative asked once the little girl looked up.

"Sida." Sida replied not trusting this new person, she reminded her of all the case workers that she had.

"That's a very nice name. Is it short for anything?" Gwendolyn pressed, trying to get the girl to open up some.

"Yeah." Sida responded.

"Sida, I going to be honest with you. I'm from the Office of Wizarding Orphans in the Ministry of Magic. I'm here to try and help you. I want to try and get you a nice home to live in with people to care about you, but in order to do that I need your full name." Gwendolyn told the child as kindly as she could.

"It's Cressida, Cressida Valaris." Sida said, hoping that this woman actually meant what she said and wouldn't just throw her into the wizarding version of the foster system where she would be bounced around from home to home again.

"Did you just say your last name was Valaris?" Gwendolyn asked in shock, everyone had assumed that Leda Valaris had died but they had never guessed that her child had lived.

"Yes, I did. Does it matter?" Sida asked, hoping that she would still be able to get a real family.

"Oh, I should think it does. Your family is one of the oldest and most noble families in the wizarding world." Gwendolyn responded.

"If they are so noble then why didn't they come for me when my mother died?" Sida asked, her tone becoming angry at what she saw as a betrayal.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but they are all dead; you are the last of your family. No one but your mother knew who your father was, but we might be able to do an inheritance test at Gringotts. If your father is alive we might be able to contact him and see if he would be willing to take you in. If not we will still do our very best to find you a home." Gwendolyn replied, her determination coming across as she spoke about Sida's father and finding her a home.

"It's okay Ms. Davies, I've been alone for a while so I'm used to it. I would like to have a family though. Even just a little one would be nice." Sida admitted, for once letting down her guard and letting someone other than Andraste know about her wish for a family.

"Oh, you poor thing. I can't imagine what you've been through. You finish your lunch now and then we'll head to Gringotts to see about that test." Gwendolyn told the girl. She could feel her heart breaking for this poor child, who had obviously not been well loved or looked after. She wanted nothing more than to take the girl in her arms and absolutely smother her in the love and affection that she seemed to crave.


	6. The Girl With A Most Tragic Past Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 6: The Girl With A Most Tragic Past Part Two

Cressida quickly finished what she was eating, eager to find out who her father was and if she had any family left. Once Gwendolyn noticed that Sida was finished she led the young girl to the back of the pub, where the entrance to Diagon Alley was located. Gwendolyn opened the entrance quickly but gave Sida time to take everything in before ushering the girl through the arch and into the Alley. Gwendolyn told Sida bits and pieces about Diagon Alley and the stores that they passed as she guided the girl to the large, white marble building that housed Gringotts. Sida couldn't believe that such a wonderful place existed and wanted to explore more, but knew that it was more important to reach the bank.

When they reached the bank Sida couldn't help and stare at the goblin guards that stood by the door. She had never seen anything like them in her life. Gwendolyn took the time to explain a bit about goblins, seeing as the girl was curious about them. Sida felt bad about staring at them and as her and Gwendolyn were about to walk past the guards she stopped and apologized for staring and explained that she didn't mean to stare and that they were the first goblins she had ever seen. The goblins accepted the child's apology in shock; no human had ever taken the time to apologize to a goblin before. As the child past into the bank they both knew that they would be watching for her in the future and that this information needed to get to the Goblin King.

Once Gwendolyn and Sida were inside the bank, Gwendolyn led Sida to the closest available goblin teller and explained the situation to the goblin and when she explained that Sida was the last of the Valaris line the goblin stated that they would need proof that she was who she claimed to be. That's when Gwendolyn stated that they would need an inheritance test, not only to verify Sida's identity, but also to try and locate any family. The goblin led them to a separate room and told them to be seated in front of the large desk in the room and that someone would be with them shortly.

"Gwendolyn, what is this 'inheritance test' you all keep talking about?" Sida asked, she had been wondering about what that was for a while now.

"Well an inheritance test will let us know who your mother and father were and will show what inheritances you may be due." Gwendolyn explained.

"You mean like if my parents left me money?" Sida asked, wanting to make sure she had it right.

"Money, yes, but also things like houses, businesses, properties, furniture, jewelry, books, and any number of things." Gwendolyn responded, glad that the girl seemed to be curious.

"Wow, I never even thought about stuff like houses and businesses. That's so cool!" Sida exclaimed.

"Yes, I suppose it is. You being from such an old family, I'm sure there are loads of businesses and whatnot that belong to you." Gwendolyn said with a smile, happy that Sida seemed to be getting excited.

"Young one, do not forget to ask about the procedure for one of these tests." Andraste gently reminded the child. Sida's face as gone from excited to slack very suddenly and she seemed to be spacing out a bit. The quick change in the girl's face had Gwendolyn concerned and she was about to ask what was wrong when the child seemingly came back to herself.

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask, but how, exactly, is an inheritance test done?" Sida asked, grateful to Andraste for reminding her.

"Well you have to drip some blood onto a special kind of parchment and in a few minutes the results print themselves onto the parchment." Gwendolyn answered, assuming that the brief change in the girl's face was the result of her remembering her question.

"That doesn't sound too bad." Sida commented. Just as Sida said that another goblin entered the room and quickly took a seat behind the desk that Gwendolyn and Sida were sitting in front of.

"Hello, I am Grimclaw, Account Manager for the Valaris account, and I understand that this child is claiming to be the last of the Valaris family." The goblin stated brusquely.

"Hello, Grimclaw, it's nice to meet you. I am Cressida Valaris and well I've always been told that my name was Valaris, but I didn't know that I was the last one until today." Sida replied, as politely as she could.

"Well that is all well and good, but until the test proves that you are who you claim to be, I will reserve my judgement." Grimclaw replied, making note of the fact that the child at least appeared to have some manners despite her rough and dirty appearance.

"That's fair." Sida stated honestly, not offended at all that the goblin was being cautious. Gwendolyn merely watched the transaction carefully, wanting to make sure that the child didn't get herself into trouble with the goblins by causing a scene.

"I'm glad you seem to understand. Now, I will need to drop seven drops of blood onto this parchment to begin the test. We will then wait for the test to complete and the results to be printed." Grimclaw stated and handed a small knife to the woman that came with the child, not wanting to place a sharp weapon in the hands of said child.

"Sida I'm going to cut your finger with the knife and you need to squeeze it over the parchment until seven drops hit the parchment and then I will heal you finger." Gwendolyn told the girl gently.

"Okay." Sida responded and held out her hand. Gwendolyn quickly made the cut and Sida squeezed her finger until the drops hit the parchment, as she had been told. As soon as that had been done Gwendolyn pulled out her wand and healed the cut on Sida's finger.

"Now we wait." Grimclaw stated, though he did wonder why the child was only coming forward now and decided to ask. "If you don't mind me asking, what took you so long to come forward with your claim?"

"Well my mother died a little while after I was born and the hospital gave me over to child services. So, until recently, I was in the foster system. I left my last home because I was tired of being bounced from home to home because people didn't like me, or thought I was strange, or thought I was just too much trouble." Sida said, trying to not think about how much it had hurt to be bounced around so much. Both Gwendolyn and Grimclaw were shocked that anyone could treat a child like that.

"But surely St. Mungo's would have contacted my office about such a thing. I've heard of child services before, but that is a Muggle organization. How on earth did you end up with them?" Gwendolyn asked, she couldn't even think of how such a thing could happen.

"I don't know what Muggle means, or what St. Mungo's is, but if it means non-magical then that would be why I was with child services. I was born in a non-magical hospital and I didn't know anything about magic until And… oh, I mean, a friend told me." Sida replied, catching herself before she said Andraste's name.

"What is this friend's name and how did they know about magic?" Gwendolyn asked, becoming concerned.

"I believe I know who this 'friend' of yours is child. I can assure you Mrs. Davies that the concerned party means the child no harm and that they are no threat." Grimclaw quickly responded, having guessed that the child was one of the seven mentioned in an ancient goblin legend concerning the Great Dragons of old. Unlike humankind, goblins had not forgotten about the Great Dragons and knew for a fact that they were real and that one day they would return in human form. They knew this because they had been the ones to help the Great Dragons develop the ritual that would allow them to merge themselves with human children and create a new hybrid race.

"How can you be so sure?" Gwendolyn asked, becoming even more concerned when the goblin seemed to be trying to stop her from getting answers. Sida herself became concerned that she would have to tell Gwendolyn about Andraste and that the woman would stop helping her. Grimclaw noticed the child's growing panic and decided to do something about it.

"I believe some tea is in order." Grimclaw stated. He then called out in the goblin tongue and another goblin entered the room. Grimclaw ordered the tea in the same language and made sure to tell the goblin to add a specific potion to Gwendolyn's cup. The potion was designed to remove anything pertaining to classified client information from people who were not authorized to have such information in the first place. The goblins had been using the potion for centuries on witches and wizards, who were completely unaware of its existence. When the other goblin returned with the tea he made sure to give the spiked cup to the nosy witch and then made his exit. Gwendolyn took a sip of her tea and promptly forgot about her line of questioning.

"Oh, what were we speaking of again? It seems to have slipped my mind" Gwendolyn stated with confusion. Sida looked to Grimclaw with confusion and the goblin merely winked at her before responding.

"We were discussing what I could reveal and what I could not reveal to you about the results of the test. I was saying that as you are not the child's legal or magical guardian I can only release information concerning the child's lineage in order to aid you in ensuring she has appropriate care; nothing about any possessions or monies the child may have access to. We can only discuss such information with the child's guardian." Grimclaw informed the confused woman, pleased that the potion had worked and kept the woman from discovering the truth.

"Of course, I remember now and I completely understand. Although we may need access to some funds to get the child appropriate clothing and whatnot while we try to contact any family she may have." Gwendolyn replied.

"If the child is indeed who she claims to be she will be provided for here at Gringotts until an appropriate guardian can be located." Grimclaw assured the woman.

"I've never heard of Gringotts offering such services for orphans before." Gwendolyn said in shock.

"The Valaris family are a long standing, and well respected, client of this bank and as such are accorded preferential treatment." Grimclaw smoothly lied. The truth being that, if his suspicion was correct and the child was indeed one of the Seven, it was the goblin's duty to see her well looked after and protected.

"Well that does make sense, but don't you believe it would be better to see her placed with a nice family while we wait?" Gwendolyn asked, trying to think of what would be best for the child.

"You can be assured, Madam, that the child will be well cared for and given every possible comfort within these halls. She will also be well protected from any who may catch wind of her identity. Not everyone will be glad to hear that the Valaris family lives on and even those that don't mean the child harm can still hurt her a great deal." Grimclaw stated with scorn, offended that the witch would hint at them being unable to care for the child.

"Of course, I'm sure she would be well taken care of, I was just thinking of the child's comfort." Gwendolyn replied with a bit of condescension. Sida didn't like her tone, it made Gwendolyn sound as if she thought she was better than Grimclaw.

"I'll be just fine here, besides anything would be better than the hidey hole I live in now." Sida said trying to stop Gwendolyn and Grimclaw from arguing. It seemed to work because Grimclaw and Gwendolyn quit glaring at each other and looked at her with shock and sadness.

"I think you may have broken them, little one." Andraste commented in her head. It seemed that both Gwendolyn and Grimclaw had forgotten that she was sitting right there and that she was currently living on the streets. They both seemed to catch themselves after a couple of seconds and Grimclaw looked down at the parchment to see that the results were ready.

"Well it seems as if the results are ready. Now, it does show that your name is Cressida Valaris, as you claimed it was, and that your Mother was one Leda Valaris, who is deceased. Your father is listed as one Ethan Carver, an American wizard who is in fact still alive. Shall I read the rest of the lineage Miss Cressida or would you rather look at the sheet yourself?" Grimclaw asked her after reading the information that Gwendolyn would need to begin to track down Sida's family.

"I think I would rather read it for myself a bit later, if you don't mind that is." Sida stated wanting to keep the information private but unsure if Gwendolyn would need more information.

"I think that is a wonderful idea Sida. I really only needed your father's name to begin trying to contact him. If nothing comes of that I'll ask you for more information later." Gwendolyn told the girl, not wanting to press her for information that she may not need, after all it was not any of her business to know what titles the girl may hold or who else she may be related to, at least not yet.

"Well now that the test is out of the way we must consult with Lady Leda's Will. Obviously, if she left instructions for the care of her child those instructions must be followed. Just give me a few moments and I will have the Will brought out." Grimclaw stated while he placed the parchment in a folder and handed the folder Sida. He then called out to the same goblin from earlier and told him to bring the Will. The other goblin nodded and left.

"Very well, I hope that the Will helps us. If not it may take a while for me to track down Mr. Carver." Gwendolyn stated.

"Don't concern yourself too much with tracking down Ethan Carver. Gringotts will send word to him on young Miss Cressida's behalf. Hopefully he will respond quickly, but regardless we will look after her here while we wait." Grimclaw informed both Sida and Gwendolyn.

"Thank you Grimclaw. I appreciate you trying to help me and giving me a place to stay." Sida said, truly grateful that for the first time she had somewhere to stay where she was actually wanted. Grimclaw was again impressed by Sida's politeness and good manners. Gwendolyn was pleased as well; this would make her job much easier. Just then the other goblin returned with the Will and handed it to Grimclaw. Grimclaw skimmed through the Will and did indeed find a section that spoke about what should happen should Lady Leda be unable to care for her child.

"Well the Will does give instructions as to the care of Lady Leda's child. She first gives custody to her brother, Mars, and then to her sister, Europa, both of whom are unfortunately deceased. Lady Leda then goes on to name her child's father, Ethan Carver, as her third choice, stating that though Ethan was unaware of her pregnancy, or even of her true name, that she believed he would take good care of their child, but should he decline the child that custody is then to be given to her cousin, Andromeda Tonks nee Black, who has already agreed, by magical oath, to take the child in should Mr. Carver not. So, it looks like our priority is to contact Mr. Carver, as he has priority when it comes to the custody of Miss Cressida. I feel it would also be prudent to inform Mrs. Tonks as soon as possible, so that she can be prepared to take Miss Cressida should Mr. Carver be unable to for any reason." Grimclaw stated, already pulling out official Gringotts stationary and a quill to write the letters that would be needed.

"Well it looks like it is settled then. I still will need to make sure that the home Sida is placed in is an appropriate environment, and as such would like to be kept in the loop when it comes to any conversations, whether written or in person. It will need to go into Sida's file so we can keep track of everything." Gwendolyn stated.

"Of course, we will provide your office with copies of all correspondence and will notify you of all meetings involving the custody of Miss Cressida. We will not release custody of Miss Cressida to any party until your office has provided us with approval. Now, if neither of you have any more pressing concerns, I will have Sharpfang escort you both to the rooms that Miss Cressida will use while she is here." Grimclaw informed them.

"What about things like clothing and medical care?" Gwendolyn asked.

"Someone has already been tasked with providing Miss Cressida with appropriate clothing and we will schedule a time for a Healer to come and give Miss Cressida a full physical in the privacy of her rooms. Until the issue of custody has been settled Miss Cressida will remain within Gringotts and will be provided with every comfort and need that she may have." Grimclaw answered.

"One last thing, who will be looking after Sida while she stays here?" Gwendolyn asked, wanting to make sure Sida would have appropriate supervision.

"Miss Cressida will be supervised by one of the Gringotts house elves at all times, even in the presence of tutors, goblins, and any parties involved in the custody case." Grimclaw assured the witch.

"Very good, it seems as though all is in order. Sida I will accompany you to your rooms here and then I will leave to head back to my office. I will visit with you every day until this matter is resolved and you are with your family. If you ever need me just send word and I will come to you no matter what, alright?" Gwendolyn explained to Sida.

"Yes Miss Gwendolyn, and thank you so much for helping me. No one has every helped me this much before." Sida said while trying, and failing, to hold back tears. She had never in her life felt as cared for as she did right in this moment.

Grimclaw called out and the goblin from before, apparently named Sharpfang, entered the room. After speaking with Grimclaw he led them through the bank and into a hallway with lots of doors. They walked all the way to the end of the hall and Sharpfang opened the large double doors that belonged to the master guest suite. They were introduced to the house elf, Tolly, who would be looking after Cressida during her stay. Sharpfang informed Cressida that a Healer would be by tomorrow afternoon to give her a physical and then left the room with a bow. Gwendolyn looked over the rooms and noted that they were more than appropriate for the young girl to stay in. She then said her goodbyes and reminded Cressida to send her word if she needed anything and that she would be back tomorrow. Cressida thanked her again and this time it was Gwendolyn who was having a hard time controlling her tears.

Once Gwendolyn left, Tolly offered to run a bath for Sida and Sida accepted. After her bath Sida felt much better. She noticed that Tolly had laid out some pajamas for her and quickly put them on. They were nice and soft and felt amazing against her skin. Sida was exhausted but managed to eat a good supper and then crawled into the luxurious bed at Tolly's urging. She only hoped that when she woke up in the morning that this all hadn't been just a dream.


	7. The Girl With A Most Tragic Past Part 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 7: The Girl With A Most Tragic Past Part Three

Upon waking the next morning Cressida couldn't help but smile as she realized that yesterday was real. She was going to be part of a family soon, whether she lived with her Father or her Mother's cousin didn't matter. She snuggled up under the warm blanket, enjoying the soft bed for a few more moments before she decided to get up. She wanted to get a good look around the room before Gwendolyn arrived. Once she was out of bed Tolly herded her over to the table she had eaten at the night before for a quick breakfast before she was ushered into the bathroom to wash up for the day.

When she left the bathroom she noticed that Tolly had set out another outfit. This time, instead of the comfy pajamas she had worn to bed, she had left Sida a nice looking dress to wear. Sida frowned a bit at that; she didn't really like to wear dresses that much but she guessed she could wear this one for today, but she would be talking to Tolly about it later. After putting on the dress she went and explored the rooms she had been given. She didn't feel the need to explore the bathroom or the bedroom just yet, so she made her way out into the main living area and began by checking out the little dining area where the table she had eaten at was. As she was looking around at the little decorations in the dining area she heard the door open. She turned and looked up at the door as Gwendolyn entered the room.

"Good morning, Sida. How did everything go last night?" Gwendolyn asked while closing the door.

"Good morning to you as well Ms. Davies. Everything was great last night. Tolly ran me a bath and my dinner was really good. Oh, and the bed was absolutely amazing." Sida gushed as she remembered last night.

"Well I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself last night. If you don't mind me asking what were you doing in the dining area? Were you looking for something to eat? You have had breakfast haven't you?" Gwendolyn asked in concern.

"Oh, yes I did have breakfast, so I'm not really hungry. I only just got up a little while ago and decided to look around a bit a was starting in the dining area with these little decorations." Sida explained, a little worried that Gwendolyn might think her strange.

"Well if you do get hungry make sure to let someone know so we can get you something to eat and I think it's wonderful to take a chance to look around this place. There are so many little knick-knacks sitting around and I bet most people haven't ever noticed them." Gwendolyn replied, having noticed that Sida seemed a bit embarrassed about having been caught looking at the miniatures and carvings in the dining area. Some of them really were quiet beautiful.

"I'll be sure to say something if I get hungry again and I agree about the decorations. I really like the ones that are shaped like horses and cats. I think horses and cats are both so beautiful, even though I've never seen a real horse before." Sida said as she turned back to the little decorations and pointed out some of her favorites.

"Well they truly are lovely. Sida I have some things I need to talk to you about, would you like to come sit in the living room area, or would you rather sit over here?" Gwendolyn asked, wanting to discuss somethings with Sida before her appointment with the Healer.

"I haven't even been in the living room area yet so let's sit there." Sida said as she skipped over to the couch and plopped herself down. Gwendolyn chuckled at the girl and followed her at a more sedate pace before sitting down on the couch at an angle so she could better speak to Sida. Once they were both seated Tolly came over with some tea on a tray that also contained a bowl with some strawberries, because Sida had mentioned over breakfast that she liked them and Tolly wanted the thin girl to eat some more.

"Thank you, Tolly." Gwendolyn said as she reached for one of the tea cups and handed it to Sida. Once Sida had her tea in hand Gwendolyn grabbed the other cup for herself. "Well, we haven't heard back from your Mr. Carver yet, but Mrs. Tonks has sent word back and would like to meet you very much. In her letter she stated that she had always been close to your Mother, even after she was disowned and would like the chance to get to know you." Gwendolyn stated and then took a sip of her tea as she waited to see what Sida thought.

"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to meet her, but I don't want to give up on my Dad just yet. So, just let her know that first okay." Sida said, she was a bit nervous but figured that she would be fine.

"The Davies woman would not let anyone harm you, young one. Neither would the goblins for that matter. I'm pretty sure that Grimclaw knows who and what you are and the goblins have always been allies of the Great Dragons." Andraste assured the girl.

"You don't have to be nervous Sida and if you don't want to meet her just yet you don't have to. That's why I asked you if you wanted to or not. No one is going to force you to do something you truly don't want to, unless of course you refuse to eat your vegetables. In that case I can make no promises." Gwendolyn replied with a smirk at the end, she wanted to reassure Sida but at the same time lighten the mood a bit. Sida giggled at Gwendolyn's remark about vegetables and reached over to put her empty tea cup down and grab a handful of strawberries. She was glad that Tolly had thought to bring some because she really did like them.

"Well I'm not too picky about food and as long as no one puts Brussel sprouts in front of me I'll be fine." Sida said with a smirk of her own.

"Brussel sprouts happen to be very good for you I'll have you know, but if you truly don't like them you don't have to eat them." Gwendolyn said, rushing to reassure Sida when the girl turned a bit pale when she started talking about Brussel sprouts.

"It's not about liking Brussel sprouts or not, I just can't eat them. I almost choked on Brussel sprouts once and I haven't been able to eat them since." Sida said remembering the time that one of her foster parents tried to force feed Brussel sprouts to her, which resulted in her almost choking to death on them and having to be taken to the hospital. She didn't stay in that home for very long.

"I'm so sorry to hear that Sida. It must have been quiet the ordeal for it to put you off of them for good." Gwendolyn responded, trying to comfort the child and hoping that the girl would open up a bit more about what she had been through. For a ten year old to think living on the streets was preferable to living where she had been before, Gwendolyn knew it could not have been a good environment.

"Yeah, it was, but it's over now and I don't want to think about that anymore." Sida agreed and promptly ended the discussion. Gwendolyn was concerned but decided not to press the issue in case it caused Sida to withdraw completely.

"You're right. It's in the past and can't be changed, but I do hope you know you can tell me anything Sida. I won't press the issue, just know that I will listen if you do want to talk. Anyway, what do you say to meeting with Mrs. Tonks tomorrow afternoon after lunch? That way it gives your Father more of a chance to reply." Gwendolyn said to move the discussion along.

"Thank you Gwendolyn; it means a lot to know that you will listen, but I just want to move on and leave all that behind me if I can. As for Mrs. Tonks, I guess that would be okay, but like I said let her know about my Dad." Sida told Gwendolyn, she didn't mind meeting the woman but she really wanted to meet her Dad first, so she hoped that he contacted them soon.

After that Gwendolyn and Sida spent some more time talking about various different things. Gwendolyn asked Sida about any schooling she may have had and Sida was more than happy to talk about school. She loved going to school and Andraste had always encouraged her to do well in her studies; saying that a good education was the best investment one could make. Gwendolyn just listened to the child go on about all of the things she had learned, asking questions every once in a while. She was glad that the girl had something that she enjoyed, Sida seemed to enjoy music class the best and went on and on about playing the cello. Gwendolyn made a note about it so she would remember to ask if it was possible to get Sida a cello and some music sheets so she could continue to play. They lost track of time and before long it was time for lunch. They had a light salad and some finger sandwiches for lunch. Once they were done it was time for Sida's appointment with the Healer.

When Healer Marion Jones first set eyes on the little girl that she was to examine she was shocked. She had been told that the girl was ten years old and that she had been living on the street for a few months but the stick thin child standing before her looked no more than maybe eight, which led Healer Jones to believe that the child's malnutrition went back much longer than just a few months. She only hoped that there was time to reverse the damage that had been done. She had the girl go change into a medical gown and let the O.W.O. representative know of her initial suspicions while they waited. The woman mentioned that the child grew up in the Muggle world as a ward of the state. She also let Healer Jones know that it was not unheard of for a Muggle relation to be afraid of displays of accidental magic and that often such displays were punished; sometimes physically, sometimes mentally, and sometimes through methods like starvation which was a combination of both. Healer Jones could only shake her head; to think of someone doing something like that to a child for something they couldn't control.

When Sida returned, Healer Jones began her scans. She was proven right about the malnutrition, but the readings were a bit odd, like the child had been given plenty of food at sometimes in her life and then hardly anything at other times. She figured it must have been different homes. She also noted past injuries that had been healed, but couldn't tell if they were all from abuse. The amount of injuries was far too great to just be from normal childhood hijinks. She also noticed something odd about the girl's blood. Like she wasn't fully human, but just marked it down as a possible creature inheritance. It wasn't unheard of for a young witch or wizard to have some creature blood floating about, especially in the older pureblood families and this child was from one of the oldest. Other than the malnutrition and the slightly stunted growth, which was still able to be corrected with the correct potions regimen and a healthy diet, there was nothing currently wrong with the child. Once she was done she sent the girl to go get dressed and then relayed the results to the woman from the O.W.O., who seemed like she had suspected results like this but was surprised about the creature blood that was detected, but it was common enough to not raise any alarms.

When Sida returned after getting dressed again, Healer Jones explained the potions that she would have to take and encouraged her to eat plenty of healthy meals and snacks. Sida agreed to eat plenty of food and to take her potions and get regular check-ups to track her progress. With that done Healer Jones said her goodbyes and left. Not long after Healer Jones had left a goblin entered the room and told Gwendolyn that Grimclaw was requesting her in his office right away. Gwendolyn told Sida that she would be back as soon as she could and then followed the goblin to Grimclaw's office.

When she entered the room there was a man that she didn't know sitting in front of Grimclaw. The man seemed to look past her as if he was expecting someone else to enter. It was this that led Gwendolyn to believe that the man was none other than Mr. Ethan Carver, and he was looking for his daughter. She quickly took the other chair and set Sida's file down on the desk.

"Well now that we are all here we can get down to business." Grimclaw stated, ready to start the meeting.

"We're not all here. My daughter is not here. Where is she?" Ethan demanded, he had been searching for Leda and his child for years. When Leda had first left him he was furious that she would place herself and their unborn child in danger. He had been about to storm after her when word had reached him about the Valaris family going into hiding. Not wanting to risk exposing Leda's hiding place by searching for her, Ethan had stayed put. Once the war was over, and no word had reached him about Leda, he decided to pack up all of his belongings and move to Britain to begin his search in earnest.

"Your daughter is safe Mr. Carver. I've just come from her rooms and can tell you that she was rather happily chatting about school and munching on strawberries not five minutes ago." Gwendolyn answered, trying to reassure the anxious man. She was glad to see that he seemed to care for Sida already and he hadn't even met her.

"So she is here you just won't let me see her." Ethan stated angrily.

"Mr. Carver we would be more than happy to let you meet with your daughter, but there are things which we must discuss that are not appropriate for a child to be present for." Gwendolyn replied, hoping to calm the man.

"You mentioned that she was happy about school." Ethan stated after he calmed down a bit.

"Yes, she seems to really enjoy learning and she especially loves music class and getting to play the cello." Gwendolyn told the man. Ethan gave a small, bitter laugh as a couple of tears escaped his eyes.

"I used to play for Leda every night. She said she loved how the cello sounded and that I was quickly becoming her favorite musician. I searched for them for years. I finally came across a report of a pregnant woman that had been admitted to the hospital with large, deep lacerations that matched Leda's description. When I saw Leda's name on the report I believed that I had finally found them. Only to discover that Leda had died and that my daughter had ended up with child services. Where were Leda's family? Why didn't they take my daughter in?" Ethan ranted with tears steadily running down his face.

"I'm afraid that by the time young Miss Cressida was born, both Lord Mars and Lady Europa were already dead, both killed by Death Eaters. Lady Leda had been in hiding and no one knew her fate until Miss Cressida showed up here." Grimclaw answered gravely. Gwendolyn could not believe what she had heard. It seemed as though the mystery of Leda Valaris' disappearance was finally solved. She knew from Sida that her mother was dead but hearing that she had been attacked was something else.

"And of course because my daughter was born in a Muggle hospital and not a wizarding one she got shipped off to child services. How did she even end up here in the first place? She should only be ten which means she can't have received a school letter yet." Ethan demanded, needing to know what had happened to his child.

"Well Mr. Carver I don't know the exact circumstances, but from what Sida has told us she ran away from her last home and has been living on the streets for a few months. Yesterday she happened to wander into the Leaky Cauldron and that is where I found her. It pains me to have to say this, but I don't believe she has led a very happy life. She is very closed lipped when it comes to how many families she has been with and any kind of home life she had, but her medical scans do show signs of abuse and neglect. I will warn you now she is very underweight and has been placed on a potion regiment to deal with years of off and on malnutrition and stunted growth. She will need regular check-ups to make sure she is responding correctly to the potions. Another warning, do not try to press her for details of her life. She had an odd reaction to the mention of Brussel sprouts and when I tried to press for anything more than the basic details she almost immediately shut down the conversation. She says that she just wants to move on with her life and not dwell on the past." Gwendolyn informed him, she knew it would be quite the blow, she could see how much he cared for his child, but it was information that he needed. For his part, Ethan wanted nothing more than to track down every monster that had ever harmed his girl and make them pay for what they had done, but he knew that taking care of his daughter now was more important than righting the wrongs of the past. He had to take a few minutes, and more than a few calming breaths, to get himself back under control before he spoke again.

"What else did the scans show?" Ethan asked tightly, needing to know exactly how bad his girl was hurt.

"Well most of the abuse is suspected because the scans can't tell between normal injuries and abuse, but Healer Jones commented that the amount of injuries suggested abuse and I believe that starvation may have been used as a form of punishment for accidental magic. But, as of this moment, Sida is injury free and, other than the malnutrition that she is being treated for, is in fairly good health and, more importantly, she is in good spirits. She has actually been rather anxious to get word about you ever since yesterday when she found out you were alive." Gwendolyn told Ethan, hoping that hearing that Sida wanted to hear from him would help soften the blows he was dealt.

"She sounds like my Mother. Always looking forward, never looking back." Ethan said with a wry smile. "Has she really been wanting to hear from me? Surely she must hate me for not taking her from those people."

"She had assumed you were dead as well, so she was glad to hear that you were alive. Leda's cousin, Andromeda, had sent word that she would like a chance to get to meet Sida and have a relationship with her. Sida agreed to meet with her but wanted me to remind her that we hadn't heard from you and that Sida would wait to hear from you before going home with anyone else." Gwendolyn replied.

"When do I get to see her? When do I get to take her home? Please I need to see her. She needs to come home where she belongs." Ethan begged, he just wanted his little girl in his arms at last.

"I see no harm in asking Sida if she wants to meet with you right now. It will only take a couple of minutes and I'm sure Sida will want to meet you right away. As for going home with you, I will need to check your home to make sure that it is an appropriate and safe environment before Sida can leave here. It is standard procedure and as the goblins have taken Sida's safety into their own hands, they will not allow her to leave the bank without the inspection being done. I don't mean to cause any offence but you must understand that Sida is the sole heir to a very old and powerful family and her safety is the most important thing right now." Gwendolyn answered.

"If you would rather not leave your child alone here we can arrange for you to stay here with her." Grimclaw chimed in for good measure.

"I can understand the need for the inspection and I believe I will take you up on that offer Grimclaw. I'm not going to let my girl out of my sight until I get her home." Ethan stated.

"Very good, I will go to Sida now." Gwendolyn said and then got up and left the room to go get Sida.

While Gwendolyn was making her way back to Sida's room Grimclaw gave orders to have the guest suite that Sida was in made up for a second guest. He also took the time to speak a bit more with Ethan about meeting up before he left with Sida to go over the Valaris accounts with him, seeing as it was now Ethan's job to oversee the accounts for Sida until she came of age. When Gwendolyn finally reached Sida's room she couldn't stop herself from smiling. She knew the young girl would be extremely happy to hear that her father had not only responded but that he was downstairs at this moment waiting to meet her at last.

"Ms. Davies you were gone for so long, what happened?" Sida asked as soon as Gwendolyn entered the room. She had been reading for a bit but as the time dragged on she had thought that Gwendolyn had left without saying goodbye and that had hurt.

"Well Sida I have some rather extraordinary news. Your Father has responded and is actually waiting to meet you in Grimclaw's office right now. Would you like to go and meet him?" Gwendolyn asked.

"He's hear right now and he want to meet me? Does that mean he wants to take me home? I can't believe it I get to go home with my Dad, he actually wants me, and he wants to take me home." Sida burst out, big, fat tears beginning to roll down her face. She had been so worried that he Dad wouldn't want her and that she would never get to know him. No matter how many times Andraste had told her that she would have a family of her own, she had never really thought that she would. She knew Andraste had been talking about the other kids like her, but this was so much better, in Sida's opinion. This was her Dad and he wanted her.

"Of course he wants you Sida, he has been trying to find you for years. He wants nothing more than to take you home right now, but instead, if you want him to, he will stay with you here for the night and then take you home tomorrow." Gwendolyn said as she hugged the crying girl and tried to comfort her as best as she could. Sida eventually stopped crying and Gwendolyn got her cleaned up again.

"I would like to meet my Dad now please." Sida said once she was cleaned up.

"Of course I'll take you to him right away." Gwendolyn said as she took Sida's hand and led her out of the rooms. They quickly made their way back to Grimclaw's office and before Sida knew it the door opened and there he was. Standing not far from the where the door was located was her Dad.

They both just stared at each other, having both been caught a bit off guard. Sida was the first to move as she came running through the door. As Sida got within arm's reach, Ethan bent down and picked her up and hugged her tightly. She finally had her Dad. He finally had his baby girl. They had both longed for each other for so long that neither of them could hold back their tears as they finally held each other. Gwendolyn cried right along with them, so happy to have brought them together at last. Even Grimclaw was strongly affected by the scene, it was always a moving sight when a parent held their child for the first time. They held onto each other for a while longer before Ethan gently set Sida back down on her feet and pulled back to get another look at her.

"You look so much like your Mother." Ethan commented after a while.

"Really? Was she pretty?" Sida asked, never having seen even a photo of her mother before.

"She was the most beautiful woman I have ever met." Ethan answered, meaning every word. Sida smiled brightly at him and was going to ask more about her Mother when Grimclaw cleared his throat.

"I don't wish to interrupt but there are still a few matters to discuss. The two of you can get to know each other better once we are done here. They should be done expanding the suite by the time we are finished." Grimclaw stated.

"Of course." Ethan responded and took Sida's hand as he led her to the desk. He took a seat in the same chair he had been in before and then picked Sida up and sat her on his lap. He was glad Mrs. Davies had warned him about how skinny his daughter was before, although he had thought she would have been even worse. He had read Sida's file while he waited, so he knew the specifics of her potions regimen and would stay on top of it. Whatever he had to do to keep his daughter healthy, it would happen. Sida could only smile as she leaned back into her Dad and got comfy.

"I'm happy for you, little one. Your father sees to truly care for you." Andraste said to her. Sida just smiled a bit more. After Gwendolyn took her seat they got back to the business at hand.

"Now that we are all settled I must ask about what you would like done with the Will. Lady Leda states that whoever assumes custody of her child shall become the executor of her estate as well. We could do a public reading or, if you would rather, we could send notices to those who have received bequests and Gringotts can handle the settlements for you." Grimclaw stated, wanting to get the unpleasant issues taken care of first.

"I would rather keep my daughter out of the public eye for a while longer, so if you could send the notices that would be preferable. If anyone expresses an interested in meeting with myself or my daughter please let them know that you will pass the information along and I will be in touch with them as soon as I am able." Ethan told Grimclaw.

"It will be as you have requested. Now, Mrs. Davies did you have anything else because I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave as the rest is privileged client information, which can only be discussed with Miss Valaris and her Father." Grimclaw stated as he made note of Ethan's decision about the Will.

"I just needed to schedule a time to do the home inspection tomorrow. Oh, and to remind you both that Sida has a meeting with Andromeda Tonks over afternoon tea tomorrow." Gwendolyn said.

"Well as much as I don't want to leave Cressida alone, I do need to run home a grab a few things, so if you have time we could actually get this done tonight. If not we could try to get it done in the morning before my meeting with Grimclaw at ten o'clock." Ethan said, not looking forward to leaving his daughter for even a second.

"Tonight would be good. That way I'll be able to get the forms filled out and ready so I can push them though first thing in the morning instead of trying to scramble tomorrow." Gwendolyn replied.

"Now that the matter is settled I must ask you to step outside Mrs. Davies so we can conclude our business for the night." Grimclaw stated, waiting for the woman to leave.

"Of course, I need to check in with the office and at home anyway. I will be waiting in the Atrium when you are ready Mr. Carver. Goodbye Sida, I will see you again tomorrow." Gwendolyn said as she gathered her things and left the room.

"Well now that Mrs. Davies we can discuss a rather important matter. Tell me Mr. Carver what do you know about the Great Dragons?" Grimclaw asked.

The question made Sida very nervous because Andraste had always told her that no one else should know. But, her father seemed to know a great deal about the Great Dragons of old claiming that the stories had fascinated him as a child, so he did a great deal of research on them. It was then that Grimclaw told him that the stories were true and that the Great Dragons were real. He also told Ethan of the tale of how the goblins aided the Last Seven in creating the ritual that would eventually create a whole new race of dragons that could take human form.

When Ethan asked why Grimclaw was telling them this, Grimclaw revealed that he believed Sida to be one of the Seven. Sida almost had a panic attack right then and there, but she remembered about the tea from yesterday and knew that if her Dad took the information badly that he didn't have to remember it. Ethan didn't want to believe it was true, but when Sida came clean and told them about Andraste, he knew it didn't matter. Sida was still his little girl and he loved her, ancient dragon spirit and all. Once that was settled Grimclaw called the meeting over and had them escorted back to the suite. Ethan made sure that Sida would be fine with Tolly, who turned out to be one of the Valaris house elves, and then went down to the Atrium to meet Gwendolyn.

Together Ethan and Gwendolyn went back to Ethan's house where Ethan easily passed the inspection. Ethan returned to the suite and saw Sida curled up on the couch reading a book, dressed in pajamas, and looking fresh from a bath with her wet hair. Ethan and Sida had supper together and then spent the rest of the evening getting to know each other. When Sida began to fight sleep Ethan picked her up and took her to her bed and tucked her in with a promise to wake her up for breakfast in the morning.

Ethan kept his promise and woke Sida up for breakfast the next morning. After breakfast, when it was time to get dressed, Sida put up a bit of a fight about having to wear a dress again. Ethan reminded her that she was going to be meeting Andromeda today and told her that tomorrow she could wear what she wanted and that settled the argument. Gwendolyn stopped by, just before they left to go to the meeting with Grimclaw, and told them that everything was good to go and that Ethan was free to take Sida home. Ethan and Sida both thanked her and said their goodbyes before leaving to go their separate ways. Tolly made sure to pack all of Sida's things while Sida and Ethan were in their meeting with Grimclaw so they could leave as soon as the second meeting with Andromeda was over.

During the meeting with Grimclaw Ethan and Sida found out just what the Valaris family owned. The sum of the money alone was unbelievable for Sida, not to mention the other various things like houses, properties, businesses, and what not. Ethan was shocked as well, but not as much as Sida had been. He told Grimclaw that he had been managing his Mother's accounts since his father had passed and her wealth was considerable as well, coming from one of America's oldest and most respected wizarding families. Grimclaw had also told them that Cressida, as heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Valaris, would be expected to behave in a certain way in public and entertain other members of the wizarding elite. He suggested asking Andromeda to help tutor Cressida, seeing as she was once a member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black.

The meeting in the afternoon with Andromeda went very well and she agreed to help tutor Sida. She also agreed to help Ethan keep Sida out of the social scene for as long as possible to give Sida a chance to adjust to her new life. Ethan ended up making most of the important meetings on Sida's behalf and, once he mentioned who his mother was, most people backed off a bit. Gretchen Carver-McKinnon was well known in the wizarding world and no one wanted to get on her bad side by messing with her grandchild.

Sida and Gretchen got on famously once they met. They got on so well that Gretchen decided to move closer to spend more time with her son and grandchild. Ethan and Sida eventually told Gretchen about Andraste and the other dragons and children that were like Sida. Gretchen took the news well and was just as determined as her son, if not more so, to keep Sida protected from those that may try to harm her.

When the day finally came and Sida received her Hogwarts letter, neither Ethan nor Gretchen wanted to let the little girl go. They knew that Sida would meet the others at Hogwarts, but they couldn't be sure that she would be safe. Sida got them both to agree to let her go by promising to write them at least once a week and letting them know if any kind of trouble popped up. With Sida's promises made, Ethan and Gretchen sent off an acceptance letter and took Sida shopping for her school things. Sida had been to Diagon Alley several times by now, she had been growing like a weed now that she was fully healthy and often needed new clothes, so she knew just about everywhere to go. She still had a wonderful time shopping with her family, but the real excitement came from knowing that soon she would be able to meet the other kids who were just like her. She spent the time between her shopping trip and September the first trying her hardest to get ready for meeting the other kids. She could only hope that they would like her and that she liked them.


	8. The Boy Whose Father Became A Slave

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 8: The Boy Whose Father Became A Slave

Draco Malfoy had always been spoiled by his parents; from the time he was born he not only had everything he could possibly need, but also everything he had ever wanted. That being said, the one thing Draco ever wanted that he never really got was a sibling. He had asked his parents again and again for a little brother. He even told them that he would settle for a little sister if there were no bothers left. His parents merely laughed and told him to go back to playing with his many toys. Draco couldn't understand why his parents wouldn't give him this one thing that he really wanted; I mean they gave him everything else he asked for. He was getting rather frustrated until one day someone finally answered him, although this person, or rather dragon, lived in his head and no one else could hear or see him.

From that moment forward Louarn, the dragon, became his best friend. His Mother and Father kept trying to get him to be friendly with other children, but Louarn would always tell him that the other children were not worthy to truly be his friends. They only child Louarn didn't seem to mind was Theodore Nott because Theodore was quiet and liked to read, unlike Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle who were too stupid to say much unless it involved food. Louarn especially couldn't stand a little girl named Pansy Parkinson, who was far too girl like to even be useful; at least Crabbe and Goyle were big and scary looking.

Draco never really understood why his parents wanted him to be friends with these children; that is until his father began to tell Draco about the Dark Lord and how he had served him. Lucius would go on and on about how much of an honor it was to serve the Dark Lord, and how he didn't believe the Dark Lord was really dead, and that when the Dark Lord returned Draco would have the honor of serving him as well. Louarn would tell Draco that no self-respecting dragon would ever bow down to a wizard, especially one that criticized Mother Magic herself.

Louarn took the time to explain to Draco that Magic had a will of her own and one could only borrow her power and never own it. This confused Draco at first because his Father always told him that magic was his birthright and that Pureblooded witches and wizards were the ones that truly owned magic. Draco asked his Mother about it once and she told him that Magic chose who it wanted to choose and no one knew why or how it did. She also told him to never let his Father know that she had told him this and to never question his Father's believes in front of him. Louarn further explained that Mother Magic chose those that she felt were worthy of her gift and would likewise punish those she felt were unworthy.

Draco thought that made more sense than what his Father said but kept quiet about it. His Mother would often talk to him about Magic and how she saw it. A lot of what his Mother said was very similar to what Louarn told him. Louarn suggested that it was because his Mother was a follower of the Old Ways and not a believer in Pureblood supremacy like his Father was. Louarn often referred to his Father as the Imbecile and would scoff, or down right laugh, at much of what he said.

"Your Father is a fool, young dragon. He has lowered himself to a position that is little more than a slave, and is happy about it. He also speaks of Magic as if he is her master, which is one way to anger the Great Mother of Us All." Louarn told Draco one night.

"Will Father be punished?" Draco asked, he wanted to know but was nervous about the answer.

"I believe he already is being punished, little dragon. He is a man whose only child was given into the keeping of the Great Dragons and as such he has no magical claim to. I also believe the only reason your Mother conceived you in the first place was because she is a true Daughter of Magic." Louarn answered, feeling confident in his response.

"What do you mean that Father has no magical claim to me?" Draco asked, confused about how this could happen.

"Great Mother Magic has decided that you are to be my heir, little one, and not Lucius Malfoy's." Louarn explained.

"Does this mean that I won't inherit the Malfoy name and estate? What about Mother, is she still my Mother?" Draco asked, becoming more confused than he had been.

"Biologically, you are still Lucius Malfoy's son, so as long as he does not disinherit you, you will still inherit all that Lucius Malfoy has. However, if Lucius attempts to do something, like say arrange a marriage for you, it will not be recognized by Magic. Only your Mother and I have that power and I, at least, have no intention of agreeing to any match; I don't believe your Mother does either. Obviously your Mother is still your Mother, child, nothing would ever change that. She is a good, strong woman and a powerful, and dedicated, witch. Magic loves the faithful, young dragon, and rewards them accordingly." Louarn answered, hoping the boy understood what he said.

"Okay so Mother is still my Mother and always will be. Father is only my Father by blood and you are my Father by Magic?" Draco asked to make sure he understood.

"That is exactly correct, my dragon." Louarn replied with pride.

"Is this the same with the other children you told me about?" Draco asked, wanting to know more about the children Louarn had told him about. To think there were six other kids out there with the spirits of Great Dragons living inside them.

"I cannot say for sure as I cannot communicate with the others until we are together once more, but I believe that each case is slightly different because Magic likes to remain mysterious and therefore never reacts exactly the same way twice. Every time you use Magic it is a little bit different, even if you do not notice the difference, it is still there." Louarn replied after thinking about the question for a bit.

"I can't wait to go to Hogwarts and meet them. I hope they are in Slytherin because I know I'll be in Slytherin. It would suck if they were in Gryffindor because Gryffindors and Slytherins don't get along." Draco babbled a bit.

"I should hope you would not judge a fellow dragon based off of the house he or she was sorted into. After all, there is nothing wrong with being brave of heart or just, just as there is nothing wrong with being cunning and ambitious." Louarn lectured, having no idea how the Houses of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin came to hate each other. The two men had been very good friends when he last saw them.

"I know Louarn, but most Gryffindors don't seem to see past the fact that You-Know-Who was a Slytherin and assume all Slytherins are evil because of this." Draco said having asked his mother about the Houses a while ago.

"Humans have never had much sense, young one. I mean look at what they did to my kin. We tried to help them and protect them and they destroyed us for it." Louarn responded bitterly.

"Well maybe Father is right about Muggles needing to be taught what their place is." Draco said.

"NO! Draco all that man does is spew hatred and lies! You must never punish people for things they do not understand, no matter how tempting it may be." Louarn reprimanded the boy. He couldn't even comprehend how bad it would be if Draco and the other children took on this mindset of vengeance. They were meant to protect the world, not correct it.

"Yes, Louarn." Draco responded sheepishly, having learned his lesson.

"I believe it would be good for you to learn more about the Old Ways, Draco. You should speak to your Mother. If I am right, she will be more than happy to teach you and keep you from your Father's influence." Louarn told the boy, hoping to increase the amount of time he spent with his Mother and decrease the time he spent with the Imbecile.

"I will ask her in the morning. Right now it's time for bed." Draco replied with a yawn.

"Good night, young dragon." Louarn said as Draco crawled under the covers and went to bed.

When Draco woke the next morning he went to find his Mother. He found her in her study and asked her if he could talk to her after breakfast. She said she would be happy to talk with him and together they went to breakfast. After breakfast they went back to Narcissa's study and Draco asked his Mother about the Old Ways. Narcissa was shocked at first and asked Draco how he knew about the Old Ways. He lied and told her that he had seen them mentioned in a book he read.

Narcissa stopped and seemed to be thinking long and hard about something. When it she seemed to come to a decision, she made Draco promise that whatever she told him he would not repeat to anyone, especially his Father. Draco promised her that he would tell no one and Narcissa explained that she followed the Old Ways, but kept it from his Father because he did not approve. Lucius believed that the Old Ways were wrong because they said nothing about the purity of the blood, which Lucius strongly believed in. She also told Draco that during the rise of the Dark Lord, most of the older families that were either Light or Neutral had been followers of the Old Ways as well. The most powerful of which was the Valaris family, which had been believed to have been destroyed until recent news broke about the daughter of Leda Valaris being found alive and well.

Draco was amazed at the information, he had been told by his Father that anyone that didn't side with the Dark Lord was either a coward or a Blood Traitor. He never thought that people would have fought against the Dark Lord because their faith demanded it of them. Draco asked if his Mother would teach him the Old Ways and promised that he would never tell his Father about it. Narcissa hesitated for a moment before agreeing, it would be risky, but in the end she felt she was doing what was best for her son. She did not want to see her boy grow up to be like his Father and so she taught her son the Old Ways in secret.

One day Draco decided to share his own secret and told his Mother about Louarn. Narcissa had heard the Prophesy of the Seven, but never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that her only son would be one of the Seven. She joked with Draco that his name could not have been more perfectly chosen and Draco let out a breath he had not realized he had been holding. Louarn relaxed as well, he had been shocked when Draco told his Mother but was glad that, as a Daughter of the Old Ways, Narcissa had taken the news well. He made sure to scold Draco about revealing himself, as did Narcissa. They both made Draco promise not to tell anyone other than the other Six, who would know anyway. Draco apologized to Louarn and promised both him and his Mother that he wouldn't tell anyone else.

Draco took to the Old Ways quickly, getting help from Louarn and his Mother. By the time his Hogwarts letter arrived both Louarn and Narcissa were confident that Draco knew what he needed to know to continue practicing his newfound faith when he was away at school. Louarn had decided to rest on the day that Lucius and Narcissa took Draco to get his school supplies, and as such missed it when Draco met one of the others in the robe shop. As Draco looked at the boy with the glasses he felt like he knew him from somewhere but he couldn't understand why. If Louarn had been awake he would have felt the other dragon trying to reach out for him, but as it was Louarn only woke as Draco was leaving the shop and missed the call of his kin. He had felt something but passed it off as Draco being excited. When Draco told him about the encounter later that night Louarn told Draco to keep an eye out for the boy on the train to Hogwarts. Draco had planned on looking for the boy anyway but now he suspected that he may have just come across one of the others he was supposed to meet and he couldn't help but worry if he had made a good first impression. Louarn assured him that, even if he had made a bad impression, he would be given a chance to prove himself just as worthy as any of the others.


	9. The Boy Whose Parents Lost Their Minds

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 9: The Boy Whose Parents Lost Their Minds

Neville Longbottom never had a chance to really get to know his parents, nor did he know that he was one of two children that had been marked by a prophesy involving a madman. Not even his Grandmother had knowledge of any prophesies involving her Grandson. The only ones that had knowledge of any prophesies concerning Neville were his parents and Albus Dumbledore. His parents would never tell anyone, having been tortured into insanity by followers of the Dark Lord. Dumbledore didn't feel that it was necessary to inform Neville's Gran, Augusta, of the prophesy, because the Dark Lord had chosen to fully mark another boy, not understanding that the Dark Lord's choice didn't free Neville from the prophesy. Should the other boy fail in his task it would fall to Neville to take on the Dark Lord, or die trying.

Of course, what no one realized was that Neville was a key part of a much larger set of prophesies. Prophesies that revolved around seven children, seven dragons, and the impact they would have on the world. It was this lack of knowledge that led Augusta Longbottom to be rather disappointed with her Grandson. She was constantly comparing the boy to his father and, in her eyes, he did not measure up. Neville was a rather quiet child who preferred tending the garden to running around and acting out made up adventures. Augusta just couldn't understand the boy at all.

But, that was not the worst of it; the worst thing was that the boy had shown no signs of having magic at all. Augusta feared that the boy was a Squib and as such would never live up to his Father's legacy. Augusta, however, had forgotten that Neville was a fairly quiet, mellow child and as such his bursts of accidental magic were much more subtle. Small things would happen, such as a gardening tool that was just out of reach would suddenly be within reach, or a watering pail that never seemed to be empty. But, because Augusta was looking for a spectacular show of magic she missed these little displays. It wasn't until Augusta's brother dropped Neville out of a window that she had her proof of his magical ability. Of course, she just about murdered her brother for placing Neville in so much danger, but at least she now knew that her Grandson had magic.

For his part, Neville was rather furious at both his Gran and his Uncle for doubting him. He was also tired of being compared to his Father. If it weren't for Taranis, and his soothing and ancient wisdom, Neville probably would have snapped under the pressure and lost himself in self-doubt.

One morning, during breakfast, Neville decided that he had had enough. His Gran had been lecturing him about he shouldn't slouch so much and how his Father had never slouched. She then went on and on about all the many wonderful things her Frank had done as a boy and how Neville needed to stop playing with plants so much and be more like his Father.

"I'm not him Gran! I'm not my Father and I never will be. I'm Neville, Gran, Neville, not Frank!" Neville snapped.

"You will watch your tone, young man. How dare you speak to me in such a manner?" Augusta stated in shock.

"I apologize for shouting at you Gran, but you have to understand that I'm not my Father. I'm me and no one else." Neville told his Gran.

"I accept your apology Neville, but I don't understand why you can't be more like your Father. Your Father is a good man and has done many wonderful and brave things. He was always such an active and happy boy. You don't seem happy at all and all you do is tend the gardens all day. You don't even make the effort to get to know other children and play with them." Augusta stated in frustration.

"Don't you see, Gran, constantly being compared to a man I've never gotten to know is what makes me unhappy. I tend the gardens because it's the one thing that does make me happy. To see plants that I have tended growing strong and healthy makes me happy. The other children nearby make fun of me because of my love of growing things and that is why I don't spend time with them. Besides, I'm sure I'll make friends at Hogwarts so I don't need the kids here." Neville responded. Augusta turned a bit pale at his words; all this time she had been trying to get him to be more like Frank so he would be happy and, in the end, she was the one causing him the most unhappiness.

"I never knew, Neville. I always thought that if you were more like your Father, you would be happy. That is all I ever wanted, well that and for you to show your magic." Augusta replied.

"I showed magic long before Uncle Algie, Gran, you just didn't see it. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I'm not my Father." Neville told his Gran.

"I'm beginning to see that Neville. If playing with plants is what makes you happy then play away. And if any of the other children give you a hard time about it, you send them to me." Augusta stated firmly. She wanted Neville to be happy and would not let anyone, even herself, put him down.

"Thank you, Gran." Neville said, truly grateful that his Gran was beginning to see him for who he was. Augusta reached over the table and patted Neville's hand and then got back to her breakfast. Neville went back to eating as well, but he couldn't help the smile on his face. He was hoping that he would be able to count on his Gran more from here on out.

"It is about time that you stood up to her, young Neville." Taranis spoke to him.

"I know Taranis. I've been meaning to do it for a while but I just didn't want to yell at her." Neville replied to the ancient dragon.

"While normally I would not condone raising one's voice in such a way, some people will only truly hear when they have been shocked into listening. Your Gran is one of these people, stubborn to the core, and she would not have heard you if you had not spoken in such a manner." Taranis stated.

"Thank you, Taranis. It makes me feel better that I have you on my side." Neville said.

"I will always be on your side, young one, even if it doesn't seem that way at times." Taranis replied to the boy.

Neville finished his breakfast and was excused from the table. He immediately headed for the gardens to tend the many plants and speak more with Taranis, who guided his efforts. Taranis was always patient with Neville and always gently guided him in his daily tasks. Neville appreciated Taranis' knowledge and wisdom and was grateful that the ancient dragon had chosen him. He knew that there were six other children that were like him and that he would meet them at Hogwarts, but somedays it was hard to be so alone. Taranis did his best to comfort Neville on these days and that is how Neville became so interested in plants.

Taranis would often impart bits of his knowledge to Neville when the boy was feeling lonely and Neville seemed to enjoy learning about plants about anything else. So, Taranis indulged him and encouraged him to begin exploring the gardens and greenhouses. As Neville walked among the plants, Taranis would tell him about them. From there Taranis began to tell Neville how to tend the plants and the rest, as they say, is history.

When the day came and Neville received his Hogwarts letter, Neville raced in from where he was tending to some tomato plants to show his Gran the letter. Augusta had never been more proud of Neville. She told him to go upstairs and wash up so they could go get his school supplies. As Neville washed up and changed, Augusta sent off a letter letting Hogwarts know that Neville would be attending.

Once Neville was clean and changed they went to Diagon Alley to shop. Augusta had been thinking about giving Neville Frank's wand to use, but then she thought better of it. Neville was his own person and deserved his own wand. Once they had purchased what they would need they went home and Neville immediately began to read his Herbology text. Neville continued to read through his texts and tend to the gardens for the rest of the summer. But, even with his activities he could still hardly wait to get to Hogwarts and finally meet the other kids.


	10. The Boy Who Lived

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 10: The Boy Who Lived

For most of his life Harry Potter knew mostly pain, hunger, humiliation, and hate. The only kindness he received was from the ancient dragon spirit that lived within him. Bran comforted the small child when he was upset, or had been harmed by his so-called relatives. He helped direct the boy's magic to heal his many injuries and to maintain the child on his rather limited diet. Bran was always there with a kind word after Harry had been yelled at or called a freak. It disgusted Bran, who was once King of the Great Dragons, that anyone could treat a child the way the Dursleys treated poor Harry.

They locked him in the cupboard under the stairs, they starved and beat him almost daily. They were constantly belittling the child and calling him horrible names. They even went so far as to call the child's parents irresponsible drunks. Bran knew all of these things were false and had to keep reminding Harry of what his parents were actually like.

Harry's parents had been murdered after having been betrayed by someone they had thought was their friend. Harry was barely over a year old and as such has no memory of his family. Bran, on the other hand, remembered them very well. He would tell Harry stories of how much his parents had loved him and told him the truth of his parent's death. Bran even told Harry that his parents had been concerned about some kind of prophesy and had been under the impression that it was about him. Bran also told Harry the truth about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, at least what he knew of the tale.

"If Sirius is my Godfather, why do I have to live with the Dursleys?" Harry asked when Bran told him about Sirius.

"I do not know, young one. I can only see and hear what you see and hear, but I will tell you this: if Sirius Black has not claimed you it is not because he does not care for you. Something must have happened to him after he handed you to the half-giant that night." Bran mused.

"What happened to the traitor, Pettigrew?" Harry asked with venom in his tone.

"That I do not know either. Though I fear that Sirius may have taken it upon himself to avenge your parents by killing Pettigrew and landing himself in prison, which could be why he cannot care for you." Bran responded.

"I hope he did kill that traitor. If it weren't for Pettigrew my parents would still be alive and I wouldn't have to live in this hell hole." Harry stated angrily.

"I have to disagree, young one, the traitor Pettigrew deserves much worse than death. To betray those that trust you with their lives is the greatest treason of all." Bran told Harry.

"Why can't I escape this place, Bran? Every time I try to get out of here I get brought back and no matter how many times I ask for help it never comes." Harry lamented.

"I blame the meddling fool by the name of Dumbledore. We have heard your Aunt and Uncle whisper the name and I recognize it from before my sleep. It is an old wizarding name and I have no doubt that this fool is the one that keeps you here." Bran stated angrily.

"But, why does he keep me here?" Harry asked.

"I do not know for certain, young one. My best guess would be that Dumbledore assumes that you survived that curse because of your Mother's sacrifice, which is better than him knowing about your true nature. If you ever meet that man do not trust him. He strikes me as the kind of man who is comfortable playing with other people's live for sport." Bran answered.

"How could you know if you have never met him before?" Harry asked Bran.

"I do not need to meet him to know this. His actions speak loud enough. He keeps a small child in an unhealthy environment and this is enough for me to judge him by. He considers you no more than a pawn in his game Harry, and we do not know the rules. It is better to not trust anyone until we know what we are dealing with." Bran stated.

"Even the others like me? You said I could trust them." Harry teased.

"They are the only ones you should trust, Harry. Well, them and the goblins. The goblins have always been good friends to the Great Dragons." Bran told the boy.

It was conversations like these that helped Harry to deal with his situation. He couldn't wait to escape this place at long last and be among his own kind. He knew that when that day finally arrived he would finally be accepted for who he was. So, until that time he would carry on and try to avoid being punished for things he couldn't control.

When the day finally came and he received his letter he made sure to hide his letter in his cupboard so his Aunt and Uncle wouldn't see it. That night he opened his letter and read it. He asked Bran how he was going to send his acceptance and get his supplies and together they hatched a plan to force his relatives to help him. The next morning when his Aunt screeched at him to get up he made sure to bring his letter with him. Once breakfast was made and served up he made his move.

"Well I received a most interesting letter yesterday. I've apparently been accepted to attend a school called Hogwarts and I would rather like to go." Harry stated, enjoying the way his Aunt's face paled and his Uncle's face turned purple with rage.

"Now see here you little freak, I don't know how you got that letter but you won't be going to that school. I'll not pay for your freakishness." Vernon roared.

"Well I'm sure my parents probably set aside money for my education. I bet if I ask the goblins about it they would tell me." Harry calmly replied, watching as his Uncle's face went from purple to white as he figured out that Harry knew more than he should.

"Who told you about those things? How did you find out?" Petunia cried in horror.

"Oh, I've always known Aunt Petunia. Always known I was a wizard, always known the truth about my parents, always known your lies for what they are. I must say all of those chores helped me to get in some good practice with my 'accidental' magic. You see I've become quite good at using magic, but I know there is more yet to learn." Harry stated and began to levitate various objects around the room. He enjoyed the horror displayed on the faces of his relatives at the display. Little did they know that it was actually Bran who was focusing Harry's magic and not Harry.

"Stop this right now you little freak. We swore when we took you in that we would end this freakish behavior and if that means I have to beat it out of you I will boy!" Vernon raged as he stood and began to advance on Harry. Bran had had enough of the walrus like man threatening and beating the boy and asked Harry to give him control for a little bit. Harry happily complied, eager to see what Bran would do.

"If you so much as take another step I will end your miserable existence." Bran spoke through Harry as he levitated all of the kitchen knives and pointed them at Vernon. Harry was laughing in his head at the look on Vernon's face. He looked as if he was about to soil himself. "Now that I have your attention, take a seat."

After Vernon sat back down Bran gave control back to Harry, but kept the knives trained on Vernon. Harry went on to tell the Dursleys that he would no longer be their slave and that he would be taking over the guest bedroom. The Dursleys didn't even dare to object. He then went on to tell them that so long as they left him alone he would leave them alone. He even went so far as to tell them to pretend he did not exist. This made the Dursleys feel somewhat better about the situation. He told them that all he would require from them would be a few rides into London to do his shopping and to catch the train. When Vernon looked as if he was about to speak, Harry cut him off and reminded them that with him off at school they wouldn't even have to see him until summer. Once this had sunk in Vernon seemed almost cheerful and was more than willing to send the boy off, though he was disappointed that he couldn't be rid of him sooner.

Once the Dursleys came to terms with Harry demands, they tried to get him to take Dudley's second bedroom but Harry refused, they loaded into the car and headed into London. Harry was dropped off just outside of the Leaky Cauldron and he told the Dursleys that he would find his own way back and sent them off. Harry entered the pub and asked the barkeep to open the back wall for him. When old Tom asked where Harry's family was he told him that they had shopping to do in Muggle London and had dropped him off to get his school supplies. Tom seemed to accept the answer and let the boy into the Alley. Harry tried not to look around in amazement as he walked to the bank, being directed by Bran. Once in the bank Harry went to the nearest goblin teller to see if he could gain access to his vault.

"Key please." The goblin stated.

"Oh, I don't have a key. It wasn't left with me." Harry responded.

"Name?" the goblin asked.

"Harry Potter." Harry informed the goblin.

"We shall have to perform an Inheritance test to verify your identity. This way." The goblin stated in a bored tone as he led Harry to an office in the back. This boy wasn't the first to claim that he was Harry Potter and he doubted he would be the last, but he would let Grimclaw deal with the boy.

"Have a seat, someone will be with you shortly." The goblin said and then left. Harry took a seat and sure enough, another goblin enter the room not long after the first had left.

"So, another wizard claiming to be Harry Potter, what joy for me. I am Grimclaw, Account Manager for the Potter account. Your identity will need to be verified before we can let you access the Potter account, so if you will drop seven drops of blood onto this parchment we can begin." Grimclaw stated as he made his way behind his desk and pulled out a knife and the testing parchment. Harry did as he was asked and waited patiently for the results.

"Well it appears as if you are indeed who you claim to be. Sorry to question you Mr. Potter but many people have been claiming to be you to get access to your vaults." Grimclaw stated.

"I appreciate the security. I was really just wanting to take out some money for school supplies and the like." Harry replied.

"Where is your guardian Mr. Potter. Surely they would have given you the key to your vault, or at least provided you with funds to make your purchases." Grimclaw pressed, wanting to know why the child was alone.

"Oh, my Aunt and Uncle dropped me off, but I don't think they had a key. If they had they would have taken all of my money and left me with nothing." Harry answered. Grimclaw did not like that answer.

"Mr. Potter are you saying that you believe your physical guardians would have robbed you?" Grimclaw asked.

"Yes, I am. They hate me and they hate magic. The only reason that I was even able to come here was because Bran helped me to threaten them into cooperation." Harry revealed.

"You said Bran, as in Bran the King of the Great Dragons?" Grimclaw asked in shock.

"Yep, Bran told me I could trust the goblins, so here I am trusting you." Harry replied.

"Well he was certainly correct in that statement. We goblins have always been friends and allies of the Great Dragons. Forgive me if I seem taken aback, it's just I've met one of your kind before and had not expected to meet another for a good while." Grimclaw stated.

"You've met one of the others? Who are they? Are they my age? Are they a girl or a boy? Do you know what dragon they have?" Harry shot off his questions rapidly, wanting to know as much as possible about this other kid that Grimclaw had met.

"All I am at liberty to say is that they will be attending Hogwarts this year, the rest is classified." Grimclaw replied.

"Well at least I know I'll see them at Hogwarts." Harry said.

Grimclaw then went over Harry's account with him and told the boy that he would look into the issue of his guardians and offered to allow Harry to stay in one of the banks guest suites until school began. Harry was glad to take Grimclaw up on the offer and just needed to let his relatives know that he would not be returning before school started. Grimclaw told him that they would be informed, and with any luck he would never have to return to them. While they had been talking Grimclaw had arranged for more appropriate clothing to be fetched and for some money to be retrieved from Harry's school vault. Once they were done talking Harry was taken to his suite and was told that he could eat lunch and change and that one of the wizarding employees of the bank would be with him before too long to take him to get his school supplies.

Harry was grateful to not have to wear Dudley's old clothes and quickly changed. When an older witch knocked on the door after lunch and told him that she was assigned to help him with his school shopping, Harry grabbed the money pouch he had been given and left with the witch to do his shopping. The witch, a Mrs. Kettering, advised him to start with getting his robes made as that would take the longest. Harry agreed and went into the robe shop, while Mrs. Kettering went about and grabbed some of the smaller items like parchment, quills, and the like. Inside of the robe shop Harry met another boy who gave him a strange feeling, like he knew him and had always known him. Bran thought it was because the boy was like him, but the boy's dragon was not responding. Harry told Bran that he would watch out for the boy when it was time to take the train after Bran told him that the dragon within the boy was probably asleep.

After Harry had been fitted for his robes Mrs. Kettering returned and helped him finish his shopping. The last stop, before heading back to the bank, was Eyelops Owl Emporium where Harry bought a beautiful white owl, that he later named Hedwig. Harry spent his time before catching the train reading his books and relaxing. He had been visited by a Healer at the request of the goblins and had been given some potions to take to make him healthy. The goblins had him document the abuse that he suffered at the hands of his so-called family and assured him that they would handle the situation for him. Grimclaw reported that they were facing resistance from one Albus Dumbledore, who was the Headmaster of Hogwarts and was claiming to be Harry's magical guardian. His claims were not accepted by Magic, however, but the man still had quite a bit of power and was trying to take control of Harry's life. Harry was glad that the goblins were fighting for him and hoped that he was never forced to return to the Dursleys. Just a few days before he was due to leave it was decided that the Dursleys were not fit guardians and that Harry should be removed from their care. The problem came with deciding where Harry should be placed. They had been lucky, so far, to keep the story out of the press but knew that if it became known that Harry had been removed from his home that the Ministry would be swamped with offers to take Harry in. That is why they decided to go off of his parents will. With most of his named caretakers being either dead or imprisoned it was looking more and more like Harry would go to school without a new home.

However, Grimclaw noticed that his Godmother was Leda Valaris and knew that Leda's daughter was one of the Seven, just as Harry was. He kept this fact to himself, but did suggest asking Mr. Ethan Carver, the father of Leda's daughter, if he would be willing to take in young Mr. Potter. On the very morning of September the first it was finally agreed upon to ask Ethan Carver to become Harry's guardian, even if Harry was headed off to school they at least hoped to have a home lined up for him by the time the Christmas holidays approached. Harry himself was just glad that he would never have to return to the house of horrors that was his childhood home.


	11. Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 11: Meetings

As dawn broke on the morning of September the first a little girl stared out her window in her rook shaped house and wished that she could be going to Hogwarts this year. She knew that the other children that were like her would all be starting school this year and she felt that she wouldn't be as welcome when she joined them because she was so much younger. Her dragon, Innogen, assured her many times that the others would welcome her with open arms regardless of her age, but the little girl still worried. Only time would tell which of them was correct, and the girl was growing more impatient by the day.

As the morning wore on many other children woke up and began to prepare for the trip to school. Some had already packed and were taking the time to eat a good breakfast and pack a nice lunch before heading out to get to the train early. Others were double checking that they had everything and packing last minute items. The majority had left packing until the last minute and were spending their morning frantically throwing things into their trunks and hoping that they got everything they needed before having to dash out the door in order to catch the train on time.

Hermione Granger was one of the ones that had a leisurely breakfast and came early. She wanted to make sure that she got a good compartment and was able to wander around to look for the other kids that were like her. She figured that if she could find them before the train left then they could all ride together and spend the whole ride getting to know each other. She had her parents drop her off at the station and then had them leave, she didn't want to be distracted from her search. When she made it onto the platform and saw the bright scarlet train she began to get truly excited. She would finally be going to Hogwarts and would finally be where she belonged.

As she moved farther onto the platform she felt like she was being pulled toward the back of the train. The pulling sensation increased until she was on the train and standing outside of a compartment, having left her truck on a trolley just outside the train. She opened the compartment door and saw a dark skinned boy sitting by the window. She knew as soon as she saw him that he was like her. Brigantia confirmed it when she whispered the name Vercobret in her mind.

"Hello I'm Hermione Granger, do you mind if I sit here?" Hermione said, not knowing it she should have said something else. The boy seemed to study her for a minute before responding.

"It's nice to meet you Hermione and I don't mind if you sit here. In fact I think we'll get along quiet well. I'm Blaise by the way, Blaise Zabini." The boy said.

"It's nice to meet you as well Blaise and I agree about us getting along. I just have to go get my things. I kind of left them on the platform." Hermione stated.

"I'll help you; my mum had to levitate my trunk onto the train for me, so I know how difficult it can be." Blaise said as he got up to help Hermione.

"Thank you, Blaise." Hermione said, wanting to say so much more but knowing that it would have to wait. Blaise and Hermione went out to her trolley and, between the two of them, managed to get Hermione's trunk loaded onto the train. After they got Hermione's truck stashed in the compartment, Blaise went over and closed and locked the compartment door.

"It's safe for us to talk now, I had Mother ward the compartment before she left." Blaise explained.

"You're the first one that I've met, so I don't really know what to say other than to introduce myself." Hermione said nervously.

"It's okay, you're the first I've met as well and it's not like there are any guidelines to go off of. But, Vercobret whispered the name Brigantia to me, is that your dragon?" Blaise responded.

"Yes, her name is Brigantia, and I'm assuming yours is Vercobret?" Hermione replied.

"Yeah, I'm guessing you had the same idea as me. Get here early, pick a compartment, and scan the crowds as they came in for the others." Blaise stated.

"Yeah, I thought we could use the trip to get to know each other." Hermione said, beginning to get past the slight awkwardness.

"That's what I thought as well. I hope the others show up soon. I would hate to be forced to share a compartment with some outsider and not be able to talk about anything." Blaise said.

"I'm sure they'll show up soon. They must be just as anxious as we are to meet. We could always get to know one another while we wait and just keep an eye out. I know that I felt like I was being pulled here, so maybe the others will as well." Hermione replied. Blaise agreed and the two spent the next twenty minutes chatting and getting to know each other. More kids had trickled in, but Blaise and Hermione didn't really pay attention until they both felt that someone was being pulled toward them.

The person that was turned out to be a pretty, young girl with silvery blonde hair. They saw her through the train window and knew that she was just like them. Hermione looked at Blaise and they both smiled and then lunged for the compartment door. Hermione beat Blaise to the door and swiftly unlocked and opened the door, rushing to the entrance where the new girl was standing. As Hermione appeared, the girl turned around and in that instance they both knew. Blaise joined them shortly after and the three of them could only smile at each other. That is until a man came over and interrupted them.

"You know, if I didn't know any better I'd think the three of you were friends who hadn't seen each other in years, instead of total strangers meeting for the first time." The man said with an American accent.

"How can you be sure we don't know each other?" Hermione snapped, irritated that this man made such assumptions.

"Well that would be because he is my Dad." The new girl responded with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude." Hermione apologized, feeling more than a little bit embarrassed.

"It's okay, but you three should probably get on the train. You're drawing attention and it's not safe." The man said. Hermione and Blaise both looked at him sharply. He couldn't know, could he? Seeing the looks on the other two kids faces, the girl decided to explain.

"Look my Dad knows and he's okay with it, but we need to get inside. Hopefully where no one can hear us." She said.

"We have a compartment, my Mum warded it. Should be private enough." Blaise spoke for the first time.

"Alright, Sida you go with these two and I'll load your trunk before coming and saying goodbye." The man told the girl.

"Okay Dad, see you in a bit." The girl said as she followed Blaise and Hermione back to their compartment. As soon as they were in and the door locked the both rounded on the newcomer.

"You told your Dad. Brigantia told me to tell no one." Hermione exclaimed.

"Do you know what could have happened to all of us if he hadn't taken the news well?" Blaise demanded.

"Look I didn't tell him without having a way to make him forget if he responded badly. The goblins have this tea that makes people forget, so I told my Dad knowing that the goblins would help me wipe it from his mind if things went wrong." The girl said.

"Oh, I didn't know goblins could do that." Hermione said.

"I didn't either and I'm a Pureblood." Blaise added.

"The goblins don't like it to be widely known, besides it doesn't matter if you're a Pureblood or not, magic is magic." The girl said.

"Well it's good to hear you say that, I'm a Muggleborn and from what I've been able to understand, a lot of witches and wizards view Muggleborns negatively. Blaise is the first wizard I've met that didn't look down on me even a little bit." Hermione said. Just then there was a knock on the compartment door and the girl went over and opened the door for her Dad.

"Well looks like you're all set now, kiddo. Don't forget to write like you promised and don't get into too much trouble." The man said as he hugged the girl.

"I won't forget, Dad." The girl said, not wanting to let go.

"Oh, we almost forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Hermione Granger, my dragon is Brigantia." Hermione stated once the father and daughter had stopped hugging.

"I'm Blaise Zabini, my dragon is Vercobret." Blaise added his own introduction.

"I'm Cressida Valaris, my dragon is Andraste. Oh, and you guys can call me Sida." The girl said.

"I'm Sida's Dad, Ethan Carver. It's nice to meet both of you. I hope you all look out for each other and, like I told Sida before we came, tell no one about what you really are. Not everyone will be as understanding and may try to hurt you." The man warned.

"We won't tell anyone Mr. Carver. Brigantia wouldn't even let me tell my parents. I think it's because they're both Muggles, though." Hermione said.

"Vercobret didn't want me to tell my Mother and she is a Pureblood witch, so I don't think it really matters about them being Muggles." Blaise stated.

"I personally think it has more to do with a person's faith than their Blood status, but that's just my theory." Ethan added.

"What do you mean by faith Mr. Carver?" Hermione asked, never having read about witches and wizards having a faith.

"Well my family have been followers of the Old Ways for many generations. Followers of the Old Ways believe that Magic chooses who she will Bless and who she will not and that blood plays no factor in the strength of one's Magic. Which, from what Sida has told me, is also what the dragons believe." Ethan answered.

"Oh, I'll have to read about the Old Ways then." Hermione said, wanting to know more.

"I have some books in my trunk that you can borrow if you want." Sida said.

"I have a couple as well, my Mother isn't particularly religious but she insisted I learn and Vercobret encouraged me to learn as well." Blaise added.

"I've met your Mother a few times, Blaise, and she seems much too busy to take time to follow the Old Ways, but she does seem very fond of you. I remember shortly after I found my little Sida here, we spent half an hour of our meeting time just talking about the two of you." Ethan told Blaise.

"I never knew that she talked about me like that." Blaise mused.

"Well, I should let you three settle in. I'll just remind you all to be careful, look after each other, and write home often. Hermione, Blaise, you are both welcome to write to me if you have any questions or are having problems of any kind. Sida let the others know that they can write to me as well." Ethan said as he gave each child a hug. After getting a chorus of agreements from the three he turned and left the compartment, closing the door behind him. All three of the kids went to the window and watch Ethan leave, waving as he walked to the apparition point and then disappeared.

"Your Dad is really nice." Hermione commented.

"Yeah he's the best." Sida agreed.

The three soon settled down and began talking about various different things. Even the dragons had begun to join the conversation and the kids found that they could hear each other's dragons now that they were so close to each other. It was nice to hear the different dragons and to be able to talk freely about things that no one else would understand. About ten minutes after Ethan had left the three kids felt the arrival of two others. They talked and decided that Sida and Blaise would go out and fetch the two new comers and Hermione would guard the compartment. Sida and Blaise quickly made their way out into the every growing crowd and began to follow the pull they could feel. The first boy that they found was a rather quiet boy who was with an old woman, probably his Grandmother.

"Gran I should go get on the train, although I don't know where I'll sit." The boy said, while seeming to focus on something else that was far away.

"Neville just ask someone if you can sit with them, and don't forget to keep an eye on Trevor. Why your Uncle Algie gave you a toad that won't stay put I'll never know, but all the same, he is your responsibility so look after him." His Gran reminded him. Sida took this as her opportunity to get the boy back to their compartment.

"Oh, did I hear you needed a place to sit? Me and Blaise here are sharing a compartment with a girl named Hermione, so you could sit with us if you like." Sida said once she was close enough.

"See, Neville, this nice young girl here has already offered you a seat so there is nothing to worry about. Now, off you go. Have fun, be good, and write home every once in a while." Neville's Gran said and then gave him a push in Sida's direction.

"Just follow me and I'll show you where the compartment is. Blaise you go find that other friend of ours and bring them back to the compartment as well." Sida said as she grabbed the boy called Neville and began to weave her way through the even larger crowd to get back to the train.

Neville followed the girl as she dragged him, looking back briefly to see the boy she called Blaise disappear in the crowd. He knew as soon as he saw the two that they were like him. He heard Taranis whisper the names Andraste and Vercobret, so he assumed those were the names of the dragons that lived inside of them. He figured that the other people that were mentioned were like them as well and couldn't help but think that finding the others was a lot easier than he had anticipated. They made it to the train and got were struggling to get Neville's trunk loaded when Blaise came over with a blonde boy and his parents. The blonde boy's Father merely took out his wand and levitated both Neville's and his son's trunks onto the train. They thanked the man and, after the blonde boy's parents said their goodbyes, made their way back to the compartment where Hermione was waiting.

"I didn't think you would make it through that crowd and back in time. I don't understand why more people don't come earlier and avoid the crowds." Hermione said.

"The only reason I was early was because my Dad had a meeting he had to get to this morning. Otherwise I'd probably only just be arriving." Sida said.

"Same here, my Mother had a meeting so she dropped me off early, though she did offer to let me stay at home and then let me Floo to Hogsmeade from home." Blaise added.

"What's Floo?" Hermione asked.

"It's a method of travel that we use. You toss a special powder into a fireplace that's hooked up to the Floo Network and then you step in and clearly state where you want to go and then you get transported there." The blonde boy answered. "I'm Draco Malfoy, by the way, and my dragon is Louarn."

"A boy with the spirit of an ancient dragon living inside of him, who happens to be have a name that means Dragon, how funny. I'm Hermione Granger and my dragon is Brigantia." Hermione stated.

"Blaise Zabini, Vercobret." Blaise said simply.

"Cressida Valaris, but everyone calls me Sida, and my dragon is Andraste, I call her Andy." Sida said.

"I'm Neville Longbottom, my dragon is Taranis." Neville said in introduction.

"It's nice to finally meet you all. I think I know what one of the other two looks like. I met a boy in Madame Malkin's and I think he might be one of us." Draco said.

"Did you feel pulled toward him?" Hermione asked. Just as she asked they all felt another pull.

"You mean like that? No, I didn't, but Louarn thinks it's because he was asleep at the time and couldn't respond." Draco said.

"Well I'm gonna pop out and grab the newcomer, you all wait here. I hope the last one shows up soon because it's almost time to leave." Sida said as she left the compartment to find the newest arrival. The crowd was so thick that she had to rely on the pull to guide her. When she finally found the boy she didn't waste time with words; she just grabbed his arm and began pulling him away from the part of the train he was trying to enter. He turned and looked at her and seemed like he was going to argue or try to break loose but then just went with it. They made it to the right entrance and an older boy that had just entered the train helped them load the boy's trunk and owl. They thanked the boy and then made their way to the compartment.

"Sorry about just grabbing you and dragging you around, but the train is leaving soon and we didn't have much time." Sida said to the boy as she waited for one of the others to open the compartment, which was locked.

"No problem, once I realized who you were and why you were dragging me off I had no problems following you." The boy said, just as Hermione opened the door.

"Get in quick you two, the train should be leaving soon so we should get situated before it leaves." Hermione said as she gestured for the two to get inside. Once inside Draco quickly realized that the new boy was the boy he had met in the robe shop.

"Hey, I remember you from the robe shop. I thought you might be like all of us, but my dragon, Louarn, was asleep at the time so I couldn't be sure." Draco said.

"Yeah, I remember you as well. Bran thought that might be the case. I'm glad I finally get to meet you all." The boy said.

"Well not all of us, we seem to be missing one." Hermione said.

"Probably means that their not at Hogwarts. Their either too young or their parents set them to a different school." Blaise responded.

"Well assuming the whisper I heard and what you said are right and your dragon is Bran, that means the missing dragon is Innogen, which means last born, so I'm betting that she is just younger than us and we'll see her later." Sida stated.

"How do you know the last of us is a girl?" Neville asked.

"Well it seems to be that boy dragons ended up inside of boys and girl dragons ended up inside of girls." Sida said.

"I have to agree with her. The goblins have all kinds of information about the Great Dragons and I've been staying with them since shortly after I got my letter." The boy said as he pointed at Sida.

"Oh, we forgot to introduce ourselves again. I'm Hermione Granger, my dragon is Brigantia." Hermione said as she remembered that they hadn't introduced themselves to the new boy.

"I'm Blaise Zabini, my dragon is Vercobret." Blaise said.

"I'm Cressida Valaris, just call me Sida, and my dragon is Andraste." Sida said.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, my dragon is Louarn." Draco said.

"I'm Neville Longbottom, my dragon is Taranis." Neville said.

"Well I'm Harry Potter, and my dragon is Bran." Harry said as he introduced himself.

"No way! You're Harry Potter! I heard you were starting at Hogwarts this year but I never dreamed you would be one of us." Draco exclaimed. Neville and Blaise were equally shocked, the girls on the other hand just found the situation a little funny.

"Yeah, I'm Harry Potter. I know that in the wizarding world I'm some kind of celebrity, but you have to understand that I don't see myself that way. My Mum was the real hero. Well her and Bran, they're the ones that saved me. I did nothing." Harry said.

"I can understand that. My Mum died saving me, in a way." Sida said.

The children then began to settle into the compartment. Sida, Hermione, and Blaise sat on one side. Harry, Draco, and Neville sat on the other side. They decided to chat a bit before the train left, but were interrupted twice. Once, by a red haired boy who tried to force them to let him sit with them. Sida spotted a the rat that he was carrying and began to fake sneeze and proceeded to tell the boy that he had to leave because she was highly allergic to rats. The others jumped on the lie and used it to get the boy to leave. The second time they were interrupted was by a most unpleasant girl, named Pansy Parkinson, and two boys that stood behind her that looked like they could be part troll. She tried to squeeze into the compartment and sit with Draco by using her Blood Status and family name. Sida used her knowledge from her lessons with Andromeda and shut Pansy down and sent her packing quickly. Sida never knew that just knowing her family's place in the world could be such an effective weapon.

They settle back into their conversations and as the train pulled out of the station they began to tell each other about their lives. They were interrupted once, by a patrolling prefect just wanted to check in on them, and then only once more by the arrival of the lunch trolley. The kids bought a few treats but, for the most part, they shared the lunches that Hermione, Sida, and Harry had brought with them. Hermione had a bunch of fruits and veggies that she had packed to snack on the night before. Sida had a few bags of homemade jerky, the dragon part of them all craving the meat. Harry had been given a basket by the bank's house elves that contained a variety of sandwiches and several bottles of Butterbeer. The kids enjoyed the food and drinks and continued to talk and play games. As they got closer to the station they decided to change into their school uniforms. Sida and Hermione went out to grab their uniforms from their trunks and once they came back the boys left the compartment to let them change and to fetch their own uniforms. Once the girls were done they let the boys back in and then left to put their street clothes away to give the boys time to change. The boys filtered out to put their street clothes away one by one and once the last boy left to put his clothes away Sida and Hermione went back into the compartment.

The kids settled back down and went back to their games, having told each other as much as they were going to for now. It stuck each of them how similar they were and they promised to help each other out no matter what happened during the sorting. They all hoped that they were in the same house, but realized that it may not be possible. As they train came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station, the kids put their stuff away and left the train together. They gathered around the Half-Giant with the other first years and when it came time to split up to go in the boats they made sure to stay as far from the red headed rat lover and Pansy and her goons. Draco, Harry, and Sida shared a boat with a sweet girl named Hannah Abbot. Neville, Blaise, and Hermione shared a boat with a nice boy named Dean Thomas. As the castle came into view from across the lake, the same thought went through their minds: this is home.


	12. The Sorting

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 12: The Sorting

Once they had reached the other side of the lake and exited the boats they were escorted up to the castle and were stopped just outside of a set of double doors. The Half-Giant, who they quickly learned was called Hagrid, knocked on the large doors. An older, stern looking witch answered, Hermione recognized her as from when she had been taken to Diagon Alley, and informed Hagrid that she would take matters from there.

The woman introduced herself as Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House. She made a speech that most of the kids ignored and told them to make themselves presentable as the sorting would begin soon. She turned and went back through the double doors and the first years immediately began to look each other over and fix their robes, and hair, and appearance in general. They also began to talk and speculate what the sorting would entail. It was during this time that the red headed rat lover from the train decided to come over to where Harry and the others were standing, Pansy came over with her goons as well.

"So, you're Harry Potter. I'm Ron Weasley. You shouldn't hang around with the likes of those lot." Rat boy said as he gestured toward Draco and Sida. "I can help show you the right people to hang around." He added, holding out his hand toward Harry. Before Harry had a chance to respond Sida jumped into the conversation.

"Do you even know who I am, Rat Boy? No, you don't because we've never met. Don't go around judging people you haven't met; you never know who you might offend." Sida snapped.

"Yeah, like me." Harry added. "Sida and Draco are my friends and if you have a problem with that you can get lost. I don't want to hang around anyone who would judge another without taking a chance to get to know them."

"I don't have to know them. They're Malfoys and all Malfoys are bad. Everyone knows that." Ron said.

"For one thing, Sida isn't a Malfoy. Her surname is Valaris. Second, Draco isn't bad; the only bad person I've met so far is you." Harry bit out, trying not to raise his voice.

"No, you just don't understand, Harry. I'm trying to help you, Malfoy and Valaris will only drag you down. We'll be the best of friends once you get sorted into Gryffindor like your parents, you'll see. Then maybe you won't be so confused." Ron said, which only served to anger all six of the young dragon-hybrids.

"You need to leave before I hurt you." Sida snapped, wanting nothing more than to punch the irritating little punk in the face.

"See Harry, she's bad. She's probably Dark and you don't want to hang around with Dark people." Ron told Harry, thinking he had proved his point.

"No Sida isn't Dark; she's mad. You just insulted her and Draco. Frankly I want to punch you in the face right now for what you've said about my friends, so I think you should leave as well. Before you get hurt." Harry said, anger showing in his eyes.

"You'll regret this. Once you're in Gryffindor, you'll regret what you've said." Ron said as he left. All Sida wanted to do was chase him down and smack some sense into the idiot.

"Don't bother Sida; he's not worth the effort." Draco said, having picked up on Sida's anger.

"I know he's not worth it. Doesn't mean I don't still want to smash his face into a wall." Sida replied.

"Trust me, we all would love to do that." Neville suddenly spoke up. From what they had learned about Neville he was pretty hard to anger, so it spoke volumes as too how much he didn't like Ron Weasley that he was willing to resort to violence.

"Well at least you lot are good at getting rid of the trash." Spoke the nasally voice of Pansy Parkinson.

"Oh, Merlin. Please don't tell me we have to deal with this harpy as well. I swear if I have to deal with one more over privileged pain in the rear I will hit someone." Sida snapped, having reached beyond the point of caring after the whole Rat Boy scene.

"I second that." Draco said, not wanting to have to deal with the annoying girl.

"I'll be telling my Father about this Draco Malfoy. You'll be sorry." Pansy screeched as she stomped away, with her mini trolls following behind her.

"I am seriously going to slap the next annoying bully that so much as tries to speak to any of us." Sida said to the group. The others giggled but knew that Sida was telling the truth. The rest of the first years gave them a wide berth after that.

When Professor McGonagall returned she had them line up in a single file line and then led them into the Great Hall. She had them stop at the front of the room, in front of them was a stool with an old hat on top. When the hat began to move and sing the kids were surprised but enjoyed the song. Professor McGonagall then told them that she would call them up alphabetically and they would sit on the stool and put on the hat to be sorted into their houses. The kids had talked on the train about what they knew about the houses and the Heads of each house and had decided where they wanted to go. They only hoped that the hat would allow them to do what they had planned.

"Abbot, Hannah" McGonagall called out, starting the sorting.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted out.

Bones, Susan also went to Hufflepuff. Followed by Boot, Terry and Brocklehurst, Mandy who both went to Ravenclaw. Brown, Lavender was the first to go to Gryffindor and Bulstrode, Millicent was the first for Slytherin. Corner, Michael and Cornfoot, Stephen both went to Ravenclaw. Slytherin gained another two with Crabbe, Vincent and Davis, Tracey. Entwhistle, Kevin joined the Ravenclaw table, while Finch-Fletchley, Justin joined Hufflepuff. Gryffindor saw its first new boy with Finnegan, Seamus and Ravenclaw gained Goldstein, Anthony. Goyle, Gregory was quickly sorted into Slytherin and then it was Hermione's turn. Hermione, with her bushy brown hair and slightly bucked front teeth, quickly made her way up to the stool and took a seat; as she put on the hat she heard a voice in her head that wasn't one of the dragons.

"Oh, see hear the Lost Dragons have finally returned. I knew you all would come back one day. I felt when you left. So much has changed and so much awaits you, but we should get down to business. Now, let's see. You, my young lady, have a magnificent mind and no lack of courage, oh and what is this a plan. A desire to stay with your kin. Understandable, but perhaps not wise in your case. The path you all have chosen will be most difficult for you to walk. Many of your housemates will look down on you." The hat said.

"I don't care what they may have to say. I am just as capable as anyone else and I won't let prejudice separate me from my friends." Hermione shot back.

"Very well, I will respect your choice." The hat said before shouting: "SLYTHERIN!" Professor McGonagall, who knew Hermione to be Muggleborn, was shocked. The rest of the school would be as well when they found out. No Muggleborn had ever been sorted into Slytherin before, Half-Bloods yes, but never a Muggleborn.

Professor McGonagall resumed the sorting and Greengrass, Daphne joined Hermione at the Slytherin table. Hopkins, Wayne and Jones, Megan both went to Hufflepuff with Li, Su going to Ravenclaw. Up next was Neville, who quickly made his way up to the stool for his turn.

"Another young dragon I see. I suppose you'll want to go with your friend. It's a pity because I could see you doing well in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff." The hat said hoping to change Neville's mind.

"Sorry, but I want to go to Slytherin. From what we've gathered Professor Snape seems to be the best Head of House for us, followed by Professor Flitwick. Professor Sprout wouldn't be bad, but Professor McGonagall places far too much trust in Dumbledore for us to ever have faith in her." Neville responded.

"Well when you put it in those terms I can see your point." The hat remarked before shouting: "SLYTHERIN!" This time the whole castle was in shock. The Longbottom family was known to always go into Gryffindor and yet the hat just put Neville in Slytherin. Neville simply made his way over to the Slytherin table and sat by Hermione.

It took a minute for Professor McGonagall to snap out of it but when she did MacDougal, Morag joined the Ravenclaws and Macmillan, Ernie joined the Hufflepuffs. Draco was the next up and he swaggered his way up to the stool and took a seat.

"Oh, a Malfoy and one of the dragons. I know just where to put you." The hat said before shouting: "SLYTHERIN!" There was no real surprise there. It would have been more shocking had Draco not been placed in Slytherin. Draco quickly made his way over and Neville moved over so that Draco could sit between him and Hermione, and thus be separated from Pansy should she be sorted into Slytherin.

The sorting moved on quickly after that with Gryffindor gaining Malone, Roger; Patil, Parvati; and Perks, Sally-Anne. Hufflepuff gained Moon, Lily and Ravenclaw gained Patil, Padma. Slytherin gained another two with Nott, Theodore and Parkinson, Pansy, the latter of which was upset that she could not sit by Draco and tried to get Neville to switch with her to no avail. The next up was the most anticipated sorting yet; Potter, Harry. All the students in the Great Hall craned around trying to get a good look at Harry and whispers broke out all over the place. Harry was getting tired of it and just wanted the sorting over with so he could sit with his friends. As soon as he sat on the stool he placed the hat on his head.

"So, Harry Potter has at last come to Hogwarts, and as one of the Seven to boot. The old meddler won't like this much, he wants you in Gryffindor, but to see his face when I put you where you want will be more than worth the complaints I'll receive." The hat said while chuckling, and then shouted: "SLYTHERIN!" The hall again fell silent, with the exception of the Slytherin table, which was clapping politely. Harry made his way over to the table and sat next to Neville, not wanting to be near Pansy.

Headmaster Dumbledore scowled at the hat. He had given clear instructions that the boy was to be placed in Gryffindor. He was already upset that the goblins had interfered and removed the boy from his relative's house. The boy would never be able to meet his destiny at this rate. Little did Dumbledore know that Harry would be more prepared than ever to take on Voldemort now that he had left the path the Dumbledore had paved for him. Buy, the man had always thought that his way was best and was already trying to gain control of the situation.

During Dumbledore's musings the sorting had continued. Rivers, Oliver; Roper, Sophie; and Thomas, Dean all went to Gryffindor. Hufflepuff welcomed Smith, Sally and Ravenclaw took in Turpin, Lisa. Finally there were only three left and the next name caused a bit of a stir among the Purebloods. For they had heard about the heir to the Valaris name and fortune's return but no one had yet seen her. With her slivery blonde hair, pale skin, and aquamarine eyes, Cressida was quite stunning. Students all around the Hall tried to get a look at her to send a report back to their parents. Sida calmly made her way up to the stool and placed the hat on her head.

"The last of the Valaris family, I mourned the loss of your family. Magic herself mourned there loss child, but to have you here lifts my conjured spirits. To think that the last Valaris would also be one of the Seven. Magic has blessed your line child, but I'm forgetting myself. There is only one House you could go to. The same House your Mother and Aunt and Uncle went to." The hat said before shouting: "SLYTHERIN!" Sida thanked the hat for its kind words and then removed it and made her way over to the table. She sat next to Pansy and when the girl went to say something she merely glared at her to shut her up.

It came as no surprise when Weasley, Ronald was sorted into Gryffindor, although Sida thought it would have been hilarious if the hat had refused to sort him and he had been sent home. But, then it was Blaise's turn and she quickly turned her attention to him.

"So, I get six out of seven this year. The sorting will be a bit off balance but I know just where to put you." The hat said just before shouting: "SLYTHERIN!" Blaise quickly went to the table and took a seat next to Sida. Headmaster Dumbledore then stood up to make some announcement.

"Well that was certainly an interesting sorting. Although, with the sorting being so imbalanced we may have to review it in case there were any mistakes." Dumbledore said before getting cut off by the Sorting Hat.

"I do not make mistakes Albus Dumbledore. All of my sortings are true and final. If you don't believe me then read the bylaws. That is how it has always been and will always be. Just because it didn't turn out the way you expected doesn't mean that it was wrong." The hat snapped, offended that anyone would question its accuracy.

"Yes, of course. I must have forgotten." Dumbledore murmured. He was angry that the hat had called him out in front of the whole school. If it had just kept its mouth shut he could have quietly moved Harry into Gryffindor house with the youngest Weasley boy. He would just have to settle with arranging for the Weasleys to gain custody of Harry and then the boy would be back on track somewhat. He said some nonsense words and then sat back down as the food appeared on the tables. He contemplated the changes that he had not anticipated as he filled his plate and ate dinner.

Further down the table the Head of Slytherin House, Severus Snape, was also contemplating about Harry. He was wondering how the spawn of his most hated school yard enemy had ended up in his House. He would have to speak to the boy tonight. He was also thinking, for seeing how thin the boy was, that the rumors of Potter being abused by his Muggle family were not rumors after all. He was also curious about the Longbottom boy. His family had traditionally been in Gryffindor, while it wasn't too uncommon for a child to be sorted differently than their parents, it was uncommon enough to warrant notice. The two boys seemed to be close to four of his other new snakes, so it might just be that the boys had asked to be placed with their friends. Of course, that would have to mean that Slytherin was a viable options to begin with. He had noticed a bit of shock on Minerva's face when the Granger girl was sorted as well and no one really knew what to expect from the Valaris girl. It seemed he had many mysteries to solve this night.

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin table, all the kids had settled in to a delicious meal and were chatting away about all sorts of meaningless things. They completely ignored Pansy and neither Crabbe nor Goyle spoke much. The other new snakes noticed the group's exclusion of Pansy and the baby trolls and followed suit, not wanting to go against some of the most important young people at the school. Longbottom, Malfoy, Potter, Valaris, and Zabini were all very well-known names and very powerful families, so most Slytherins knew that it was better to be on their good sides.

Once dinner and desert were finished the food and plates disappeared and the Headmaster stood once more. He made the normal beginning of the year announcements, with the addition of a warning about the third floor corridor. Something about a most unpleasant death, but no one was really paying attention, much too full and too sleepy to really care. They were then asked to sing the school song, not that the discordant noise that followed was really a song, but at that point they would do anything so long as it meant that they got to go to their dorms. After the song was over they were dismissed and were led down to their dorm in the dungeon by the prefects. The prefects told them the password and told them to never bring anyone from another house into the common room and then led them inside. They told showed them which way to go for the dorm, boys to the right and girls to the left, and then told them to take a seat in the common room and wait for Professor Snape. All the kids really wanted to do was get some sleep, but it looked like they would have to deal with yet another speech before that could happen.


	13. The Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 13: The Meeting

Severus Snape impatiently waited his prefects to get the House settled in the common room. He had several new puzzles to solve this night and didn't appreciate the delay. Normally he would have no issue with waiting for the children to settle down before giving his beginning of the year speech, but this year Potter and his cohorts had to come and mess up the expected order of events. Potter should have gone to Gryffindor like his parents, but of course he had to go and defy that expectation. The same could be said about the Longbottom boy, Severus could only imagine how well the boy's sorting will sit with his Grandmother. Granger's sorting had caused Minerva alarm, after having given it thought he had come to the thought that the girl was probably a Muggleborn, which would mean he would have to keep an eye on her. The very existence of the Valaris girl was shrouded in mystery, so it was imperative that he found out what was going on there to best protect the girl. To top it all off, not only did his four mystery students appear to be friends, but they also appeared to be close to his Godson, Draco Malfoy, and another young heir, Mr. Zabini. He had decided that meeting with the children individually would have to wait, but he would speak to the six of them together in his office before the night was over.

When one of the prefects finally came to let him know that the House was ready he quickly made his way into the common room. As he strode toward the front of the room he noticed that the six children he wished to speak to were sitting together in the front of the room. He also noticed that Miss Parkinson and both Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle seemed to have been ostracized by the House as a whole. Just one more mystery for him to have to solve before the night was done.

He made his normal beginning of the year speech, welcoming the children to Slytherin and explaining what he expected of the children. When he told the children that he expected any grievances that they might have to be left within the dorms, Parkinson seemed to inflate herself a bit, until Draco and the Valaris girl said they had no problem with that so long as someone kept Parkinson away from them. Severus couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. He finished his speech without further interruptions and made it known that he wanted to speak with Potter, Longbottom, Granger, Valaris, Malfoy, and Zabini in his office. Parkinson got a smug look on her face as Severus dismissed the others. He had one of the female prefects follow her up to the dorms to see what she was up to. He gestured to the other six to follow him. He quickly led the children to his office and ushered them inside, closing the door as soon as the last child entered and quickly took a seat behind his desk.

"Sit down, all of you." Severus snapped after he conjured enough chairs for all of the children to be seated in front of him. The children quickly took their seats and turned their attention to their Head of House. "Do any of you realize how much trouble you are already causing?"

"How are we causing trouble Professor? We've only just arrived." Sida asked.

"You, Miss Valaris are a complete mystery to many people. People assumed for many years that you had never been born and then suddenly you just show up at Gringotts. You Mr. Potter decided to show yourself at Gringotts and announce that you were abused, not to mention the fact that many people assumed you would be in Gryffindor House like your parents. Mr. Longbottom was also expected to be in Gryffindor House and I have no doubt that your Grandmother will have a fit when she finds out you are not. I suspect Miss Granger is a Muggleborn, which is a dangerous thing to be in Slytherin House. Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini are here because the six of you seem like old friends, when in fact you've only just met today." Severus ranted. The six children seemed to be having some kind of mental conversation because they kept looking at each other but never said a word.

"I can understand that you must be a bit confused, but tell me Professor Snape, what do you know about the Great Dragons?" Harry asked after the children had seemingly come to a consensus.

"They lived a very long time ago and died, what does this have to do with anything?" Severus snapped.

"Look into my eyes Professor and your question will be answered." Harry said.

Severus looked at the boy skeptically, but decided to humor the boy. As he made direct eye contact with the boy he felt as if he was being pulled into the boys mind, much like when he used Legimency except this was against his will. He seemed to appear in a large field that was not far from a Muggle playground. He heard something move behind him, so he turned around and stood in shock. Behind him very six of the largest, most impressive looking dragons he had ever seen.

"Severus Snape, we meet at last." Said a large black dragon, with equally dark eyes, that stood in the center of the group. The dragon's deep voice sending vibrations through Severus' body.

"Who are you? How did I get here? What have you done with the children?" Severus demanded as soon as he regained his senses.

"We are six of the Last Seven. I am Bran, King of the Great Dragons. To my left is Brigantia, my secondary mate and my Queen's Second in Command, and to her left is Louarn, my Second in Command. To my right is Andraste, my primary mate and Queen of the Great Dragons, and to her right is Vercobret, our Chief Magistrate, and to his left is Taranis, our Historian. The children are exactly where you left them in fact you are inside the mind of young Harry right now. As for how you got here, I brought you here to explain our situation and to answer your question." The black dragon spoke.

Severus looked at each dragon in turn. Brigantia's scales seemed to be made of liquid bronze, she was smaller than the others and her brown eyes seemed to hold all the knowledge of the world. Louarn had silvery gray scales that seemed to change color as the light hit each scale differently, his matching gray eyes held both mischief and cunning. Andraste's white scales seemed to glow almost bright enough to rival the sun and her amethyst eyes held such kindness and understanding that it was hard to look her in the eye and not feel cared for. Vercobret was dark granite color, seeming to almost be made of stone, and his dark eyes seemed to be casting judgement even as he lounged on the grass between the other two dragons. Lastly, Taranis had rich, chocolate brown scales with deep brown eyes that seemed to hold the wisdom of the ages.

Severus thought that the names were familiar to him and then he remembered a story he had read about the founding of Hogwarts. He had thought the story was a simple fairytale about how the wards around the school were created, but now he had to rethink that idea. If this experience was real that had to mean that the prophesy that went with the story was real as well. As a practitioner of the Old Ways he knew that the Great Dragons were real at one time but he never believed they would return.

"Say I believe what has been shown to me here, aren't there supposed to be seven of you? I only counted six." Severus said after his musings.

"Yes, Innogen seems to be living up to her name and has returned last. The children will alert you when she comes to the school. We won't be able to contact her until the child she resides inside meets the other children." Brigantia replied.

"I see. This would be why Potter and Longbottom are in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor and why Granger was placed in a House that may put her in danger." Severus said.

"I do not understand how witches and wizards could have strayed so far from the Old Ways. This concept of Blood Supremacy is completely ridiculous." Louarn snapped.

"In my youth I would have said that the Old Ways were ridiculous, but I have learned the error of my ways. I was alerted to this error by Narcissa Malfoy of all people." Severus mused.

"Yes, Narcissa is a sensible woman and a devote follower of the Old Ways, even if she must hide her faith, and her teaching of her faith to her son, from her husband." Louarn replied.

"I did not know that Narcissa was teaching Draco the Old Ways." Severus commented.

"Indeed, Cressida and Blaise have also been taught the Old Ways, but it will be your task to keep them in practice and to aid Harry, Neville, and Hermione in learning them." Andraste stated.

"Willingness to learn the Old Ways may actually help Miss Granger in Slytherin House. The Blood Supremacists will try to tear her down, but there are more than enough children from Neutral families that follow the Old Ways for her to have support. I encourage those that follow the Old Ways to continue to practice their faith and I know that they welcome all new comers. I will see to it that the children are taught what they need to learn and that they have a place to practice their faith." Severus said.

"Very good, but you must also see that this secret is kept. We are placing our faith in you Severus Snape. Albus Dumbledore must never know and he must never get his hands on any of the children before they are ready to face him. I am unsure as to his aims but he has not done right by young Harry. I cannot place faith in a man that would try to send any child back to a home that had abused them." Bran explained.

"So, the rumors of Potter being abused are true. Albus has always told us that he was safe and loved with his family." Severus stated in shock.

"Albus Dumbledore couldn't possibly know if Harry was safe and loved because he never checked on the boy. Not even once." Bran snapped.

"Albus has always thought the best of people, but I am not so kind. I will limit his access to Potter as much as I can. However, Albus is the Headmaster and a very powerful wizard so there is only so much I can do." Severus explained.

"Do not worry. The goblins are aiding the boy as well. They are already trying to get Cressida's father to take Harry in as a ward. Ethan is aware of his daughter's status and the goblins will make sure he knows about Harry as well. The boy will be well looked after, but they will need you to be their eyes and ears here in the castle." Bran stated.

"I understand and will do my utmost for all of the children." Severus promised.

"Oh, and don't worry about Augusta. She has come to accept that Neville is his own person. She may be disappointed but she will not take it out on you or the boy." Taranis assured Severus.

"We should really cut this short. Don't press Cressida about her past, she will tell you when she is ready and don't worry so much for Hermione, the others will be with her. The children truly are exhausted so we really should let them sleep. They have a very busy day tomorrow." Andraste said with concern.

"Of course, this will help me to look after them. I thank you all for putting your faith in me and will endeavor to be worthy of it." Severus said and then felt himself being sent out of the mindscape. Once he was out of Potter's mind he looked at the children and saw what Andraste had meant.

"Off to bed with all of you. I don't think I need to remind you all that what happened here does not leave this room." Severus told the children firmly.

"No Professor," All six children replied as they got up and made their way from the room.

Severus escorted them all back to the common room and had prefects take them up to their dorms. The prefects returned ten minutes later and informed him that all of the first years were now in bed and asleep. Severus told them to attend to their patrols as they were scheduled and come to him if there were any problems before he left the common room and went to his own quarters. It looked like things were going to be getting interesting at Hogwarts this year.


	14. Custody Issues

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 14: Custody Issues

Ethan Carver hated having to leave his daughter to go to a meeting but knew that it was necessary. There were some issues with one of the businesses, a clothing shop in Paris, which he managed for his mother. One of the employees had been found selling clothes for less than retail value and he was determined to find out why before passing judgement on the individual. He was going to interview the employee and the manager to see if he could find out what was really going on.

During the course of the meeting and interviews it was revealed that the manager, who had only recently been hired, had raised the prices without informing Ethan and had been pocketing the extra funds. The employee in question had refused to adhere to the new pricing because he had been working in the shop for years and knew that only Ethan and his mother had the power to change the prices. The employee had confronted the manager about this and that was when the manager reported him and tried to have him fired. Instead, Ethan fired the manager and handed him over to the French Ministry on charges of theft, embezzlement, and fraud. The accused employee was then promoted to manager. Overall Ethan felt good about the outcome and made his way home.

When he arrived he saw that he had a letter from Gringotts. Thinking that it might have something to do with the issue he had just dealt with he read it immediately. He was not expecting to be asked to assume guardianship of one Harrison James Potter. He knew he would need to speak to the goblins about this so he made his way to the bank to get some answers. Upon arrival at the bank he informed the nearest goblin teller about his purpose and was led back to a very familiar office.

"Ah, Mr. Carver. I see you have received our letter. I assume you must have questions." Grimclaw stated upon Ethan's entrance into his office.

"Yes, Grimclaw, I do. Why exactly am I being asked to assume guardianship of Harry Potter? Surely he must have family that is willing to take him in." Ethan stated.

"The boy had been living with his Muggle family before this summer, but it turns out that the poor child was abused and neglected in that house. Upon reading the Will of Lily and James Potter it was discovered that all parties listed to care for young Harry were incapable of taking the boy. Leda Valaris had been listed as one of the persons to gain custody of Harry should anything happen to the Potters. I am positive that had Leda lived she would have taken in young Harry and he would have been raised alongside your daughter. With this in mind we goblins made the suggestion that you be offered custody of the boy first." Grimclaw stated.

"Something tells me that there is more to this than you have just told me." Ethan said with suspicion.

"Miss Cressida and Harry Potter share more in common than just a history of abuse and neglect. That is all I can say without you agreeing to be the boy's guardian." Grimclaw informed Ethan. Ethan was pretty sure he knew what Grimclaw meant; Harry Potter was another of the dragon children.

"Is Harry still here, or has he gone on to the school?" Ethan asked, wanting to know if he could speak with the boy first.

"Harry is on the Hogwarts Express as we speak." Grimclaw answered.

"Do I have to agree right now, or can I speak to Harry first?" Ethan asked.

"It would be easier to get you into Hogwarts to meet with the boy if you agreed to take custody of the boy first. We can make it so that custody is provisional upon Harry's acceptance of you as his guardian if that would make you more comfortable." Grimclaw replied.

"I could accept under those terms. I know from my experiences with Sida that a child who has lived in an abusive home needs to be able to trust their guardian in order for them to recover. That trust cannot be forced; it must be willingly given." Ethan said.

"I'm glad to hear that you are willing to take in young Harry. I have no doubt that he will accept you, especially if he has met Miss Cressida. Did you happen to meet any of the others?" Grimclaw replied.

"Yes I did meet two others, but I'm not at liberty to reveal their names. Sida might tell you the next time I bring her in, or she just might tell the others to alert you of who they are. She knows the goblins can be trusted, but I'm not willing to break their trust." Ethan stated.

"I understand completely. Please do encourage Miss Cressida to have the other children alert us to their status. That way we will be better able to assist them in the future." Grimclaw stated.

"I'll make sure to let her know. When do you think I will be able to meet with Harry?" Ethan asked.

"We will wait until we are informed about which House young Harry gets sorted into and then we will send a request for a meeting to his Head of House. It will be easier than trying to go through the Headmaster, who has his own ideas about where Harry should be placed. We will try to arrange the meeting for this weekend, so as to not interrupt any classes." Grimclaw replied.

"Very good, please notify me as soon as you have received word of his sorting and when the meeting is scheduled." Ethan stated.

"Before you leave I have one last piece of advice: Be warry of Albus Dumbledore. He is the one who disregarded the Potter's Will and placed Harry in that home. Dumbledore likes to play his games and I feel he is attempting to use the boy as a pawn." Grimclaw added.

"Thank you for the warning Grimclaw. I will watch myself around the man should I come in contact with him." Ethan responded.

Grimclaw and Ethan quickly finished their business and said their goodbyes. Already they were one step ahead of Dumbledore, who was still under the impression that Harry was without a guardian. The next morning Harry would be informed about his new guardian and that his guardian wanted to meet with him. For the first time Harry would know that someone, other than the six other human/dragon hybrids, actually wanted him around.


	15. First Day of Classes and Receiving News

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 15: First Day of Classes and Receiving News

The new first year Slytherins were woken up early by the fifth year prefects. They were told that it was so they could head to breakfast together and then be shown to their first class. The kids all quickly got dressed and gathered their school things. They didn't know what class they would have first, they hadn't received their schedules yet, so they made sure to bring all of their books, even if it made their bags heavy. They figured they could always drop off the books they didn't need at some point during the day and it was better to be safe than sorry.

Once all the first years were ready they were led back to the Great Hall for breakfast. The other first years made sure that Pansy couldn't sit anywhere near Draco or Sida, much to Pansy's frustration. Pansy kept muttering under her breath about how they would all be sorry once her father heard how they were treating her. None of the other kids really cared what Pansy said because they knew that there was nothing her father could do to them. So, for the most part, Pansy was ignored and breakfast was a pleasant affair.

The kids were chatting away when suddenly dozens of owls began flying into room. None of the first years had ever seen that many owls come at one time and found it rather exciting. All of the kids had received something in the owl post, even Harry and Hermione who weren't expecting anything. Draco received a package of sweets and a letter from his parents, Neville received a letter from his Gran, Sida received a letter from her father and a letter from her Grandmother, Blaise received a letter from his mother and a letter from Sida's father, Hermione also received a letter from Sida's father, and Harry received a letter from Gringotts and a letter from someone he didn't know.

"Who is your second letter from Harry?" Sida asked, having seen the Gringotts seal on the first letter he received.

"I'm not sure I haven't opened it yet, though it might be from the person who has been assigned as my guardian. The goblins wrote and said that someone named Ethan Carver agreed to be my guardian and would like to meet me." Harry responded.

"That's my dad!" Sida exclaimed as she scanned the letter from her father. "Yep it says right here in his letter that the goblins ask him to become your guardian and that he accepted. That is so long as you accept him."

"I think you'd like Mr. Carver, Harry. He seemed like a very nice man when Blaise and I met him on the train." Hermione stated.

"I think I'll write back and let him know that I would like to meet him as well. It'd be brilliant to live with any one of you guys, so this works out great." Harry said in excitement.

Not too long after that Professor Snape came by and handed out their schedules. On Mondays and Wednesdays they would have Herbology, History of Magic, Lunch, Charms, Transfiguration, and then a Free Period before Dinner. Tuesdays would be Free Period, Charms, Lunch, DADA (double), Free Period, Dinner, and Astronomy (at midnight). Thursdays would be Transfiguration, History of Magic, Lunch, Free Period, Flying, Free Period and then Dinner. Fridays were Potions (double), Lunch, Herbology, Free Period and then Dinner. After getting their schedules, and finishing breakfast, the prefects led them to the Greenhouses for their first class before leaving to go to their own classes.

The Slytherins were sharing this class with the Ravenclaws and were waiting patiently for Professor Sprout. Pansy tried to get close to Draco a few times while they were waiting but was always headed off by one of the other first year snakes. Draco couldn't understand why the girl had to be so annoying, he hadn't liked her when he was younger and he doesn't like her now. It didn't help that the baby trolls, Crabbe and Goyle, seemed to follow her almost everywhere.

The Herbology class wasn't so bad. They had paired up in class. Hermione was paired with Sida. Harry was paired with Blaise. Draco was paired with Neville. Pansy of course tried to pair up with Draco, but when both Draco and Neville merely glared at her she stomped off and ended up pairing with one of the Ravenclaws because all of the other Slytherins had already paired up. Pansy ended up losing some House points over the fact that she wouldn't stop complaining and had even mouthed off to Professor Sprout. The other Slytherins just glared at her and were quick to leave her and her goons behind at the end of class as they headed to History of Magic.

They all ignored Pansy during History of Magic, so when the bell rang for Lunch Pansy was in a terrible mood. The majority of the Slytherin first years decided to quickly run down to the dorms during Lunch to put away the books they didn't need. Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle had been left behind again and so went straight to the Great Hall. She was upset to not find Draco already in the Great Hall and decided to wait for him in the Entrance Hall. When the other first years came back up from the dorms Pansy saw that Draco was talking to Hermione and saw red. She decided that she needed to put the little Mudblood in her place; so she stomped over, grabbed Hermione's arm, yanked her away from Draco and then slapped her across the face.

"What do you think you're doing you filthy little Mudblood?" Pansy snapped only to find herself being yanked backwards by the collar.

"Miss Parkinson you will apologize to Miss Granger and then proceed to my office." Professor Snape bit out to the girl. Pansy looked up in shock and withered under the glare she was receiving from her Head of House.

"It's okay Professor Snape. I don't want an apology from her. She wouldn't mean it anyway." Hermione said as she glared at Pansy.

"Very well Miss Granger. Miss Parkinson you do not need to apologize but you will still head to my office. We need to have a nice little chat." Professor Snape told the girl he was still holding on to. He let her go and gestured for her to make her way down to his office.

"Thank you for stepping in Professor. I don't know what would have happened to Pansy had you not." Hermione said after assessing the anger she could see on the faces of her friends and could hear in the voices of the dragons.

"There is no need to thank me Miss Granger. I'm merely doing my job. Now, I suggest all of you make your way into the Great Hall and eat while you have time." Professor Snape responded as he began to follow Pansy to his office.

With the encounter ended the kids made their way into the Great Hall and grabbed what they could to eat before heading off to Charms. Pansy didn't show up until halfway through Charms class and kept to herself for the rest of the day. It seemed like the 'chat' she had with Professor Snape had cured her of her momentary lapse of sanity. The others merely went back to ignoring her, but remembered to include the confrontation in their letters home. Poor Pansy had no idea the amount of trouble she was about to find herself in once the other parents heard about what she had done. But, she would find out before the week was done that you don't mess with someone with powerful friends.


	16. Letters Home

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 16: Letters Home

The night of Pansy's ill-fated attack on Hermione was the night that many of the young first years decided to write home to their parents, or guardians. More than simply the Slytherin first years had witnessed the attack, in fact all of the students had at least heard about it thanks to the Hogwarts gossip vine. By morning most parents would be aware of what had occurred at the school. Many wouldn't really care too much, seeing as the girl had been apparently dragged away by a teacher to be punished, however, most of the more influential families would take actions of their own. Some of these letters would have very far reaching consequences for all involved.

Hermione's Letter:

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _Hogwarts is amazing. The castle is so large and the grounds are beautiful. I haven't had much time to spend in the library yet, it is only the second night of me being here. I should tell you that I was sorted into Slytherin House and our dorms are in the Dungeons and under the Lake. I have made a few friends and I think I may have made an enemy. I was talking to one of my friends, his name is Draco, on the way to lunch and another first year girl from our House, Pansy Parkinson, yanked me away from him, called me names, and then slapped me. I honestly don't know what I did to provoke her. I think it has to do with the fact that I am a Muggleborn, remember what Professor McGonagall told us about Muggles and Muggleborns. She doesn't seem to like me because of it. Our Head of House, Professor Severus Snape, caught her and took her to his office right away. I don't know what happened exactly, but Pansy hasn't bothered me since. But, enough of the negative things. I've been learning a lot, even in just two days. I met five other kids on the train that have become my friends and have learned a lot about witches and wizards from them. Draco, the boy I mentioned earlier, is what is called a Pureblood, though he doesn't place much stock in the concept of Blood Status. Sida, Neville, and Blaise are also Purebloods, they don't care about Blood Status either. My last friend, Harry, is what is known as a Half-Blood, which at first didn't make sense to me because both of Harry's parents are magical. It was explained to me that because Harry's Mother was a Muggleborn, and didn't come from a magical lineage, he was only considered a Half-Blood. I've discovered that many witches and wizards practice something called the Old Ways. For them it is like a religion and my friends have offered to teach me about it. I'm very excited to learn about this belief because, from what I've heard so far, it basically states that Magic is a living entity that chooses who may or may not control it and punishes those who abuse the power they are given. But, other than that, I've been learn a bit in my classes as well. Today we had Herbology, History of Magic, Charms, and Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall teaches Transfiguration, Professor Flitwick teaches Charms, Professor Sprout teaches Herbology, and History of Magic is taught by a ghost, Professor Binns. I just thought I would write you this to let you know what school is like and that I'm doing alright._

 _Love You,_

 _Hermione Granger_

When Hermione's parents read the letter they were happy to find that their daughter had finally made some friends, but where concerned about this Parkinson girl. They decided to write back to their daughter and also sent a letter to Professor Snape to inquire about what action would be taken to protect their daughter from further attacks. They hoped that they wouldn't be forced to pull Hermione from this school because of a bullying issue, but they would if it kept their girl safe. They still thought it was odd to send mail using an owl but trusted that the one that had brought them Hermione's letter would be able to make its way back to the school with their own letters, so they attached the letters and watched a the bird took off and flew back the way it had come.

Draco's Letters:

 _Dear Father,_

 _I thought I should write and let you know that I have been sorted into Slytherin House, as expected. I did, however, get sorted with some rather unexpected company. Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom were both sorted into Slytherin as well. I had met them both on the train and have since stuck up a friendship with them. I figured being friends with them would be a good boon for the Malfoy family. I have also met and befriended the missing Valaris girl, Cressida, who is also in Slytherin. She introduced me to a girl named Hermione, who is incredibly intelligent, and I have befriended her as well. I am also friends with Blaise Zabini, I believe you do business with his Mother. The six of us seem to rule the first year Slytherins with a couple exceptions; Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle. Crabbe and Goyle really only follow Parkinson around, not causing any real problems, but Parkinson is mental. Cressida and I have made it clear to Parkinson that we do not appreciate her presence or her attitude, but she continues to stalk me and even had the nerve to attack one of my friends while we were talking. She came out of nowhere and assaulted a fellow Housemate just for speaking with me. She is obviously insane and not fit to be in public. Perhaps you could convince her Father to correct his Daughter's behavior. I know you are friends with the man, but Pansy is not presenting her family in a good light, especially in front of other powerful heirs such as Potter and Valaris. I fear that Pansy will end up dragging her family name through the mud if she continues as she has, and it's only been two days. But, anyway, I hope you and Mother are well._

 _Your son,_

 _Draco Malfoy_

Lucius Malfoy read his son's letter and was slightly troubled. He had been planning to betrothed his son to the Parkinson girl, but the girl seemed to be unstable. Perhaps he should look elsewhere for a worthy bride. He would let the girl's Father know that a marriage contract was no longer on the table due to the girl's behavior. He had never heard of the Granger family before, but even if the girl was a Mudblood as he was beginning to believe, the girl was close to the Valaris heir and it would not do to anger that family. The fact that she seemed to be on friendly terms with Longbottom, Potter, and Zabini as well indicated that Miss Granger was quite well protected. He could understand why his son was concerned about the future of the Parkinson family. Perhaps it was time to place some distance between the Parkinson and Malfoy names. It wouldn't do to be dragged down with them when the Parkinson's fell.

 _Dear Mother,_

 _I have met five of the others. Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger, Cressida Valaris, Neville Longbottom, and Harry Potter. We have all been sorted into Slytherin together. The only problem we have encountered so far is Pansy Parkinson. The daft girl decided to slap Hermione just for speaking to me. I'll warn you now that Hermione is a Muggleborn and that seems to be the reason that Parkinson attacked her. No one else in Slytherin has made an issue of it because Uncle Sev tells all the snakes to look out for each other outside of the Common Room and settle any issues away from prying eyes. Parkinson didn't follow that advice and attacked Hermione right in the Entrance Hall. Uncle Sev dragged her off to his office before anything else could happen, but Parkinson is on thin ice in the House. The only other problem I could see coming up would be the youngest Weasley boy, who seems to think that Harry should be his best friend and should have been in Gryffindor. Oh, and Harry was advised by the goblins to not trust Dumbledore. I should also tell you that Harry's new guardian is Ethan Carver, who is Cressida's Father. He knows as well so I would recommend trying to get a meeting with him. I will try to keep you as updated as I can. Uncle Sev has been told, by the dragons themselves if you can believe it, so we have help here at the school. I love you and I miss you._

 _Your loving son,_

 _Draco Malfoy_

Narcissa read her letter and was slightly shocked by the names of the other dragon children. Almost all of them were from Ancient and Noble Houses, with the exception of Miss Granger. She was glad that they had been sorted together and had a reliable ally at the school. She would be taking her son's advice and getting a meeting with Mr. Carver and would see about getting Severus to meet with her over the Holiday Break, perhaps with Mr. Carver as well. Draco only mentioned meeting five others, which means that one of the children has not come to Hogwarts. She figured that the remaining child might be Muggleborn, like Miss Granger, and if not the child was most likely from one of the older families. She only hoped that it wasn't the only Weasley girl; that family had left the path of the Old Ways long ago and she could only imagine the trouble it would take to get the girl on the right path.

Neville's Letter:

 _Dear Gran,_

 _I am writing to let you know that I have been sorted into Slytherin House. I know you had hoped I would be placed in Gryffindor, but that just wasn't where I belong. I made some good friends on the train and they have also been sorted into Slytherin. My friends are Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger, Cressida Valaris, Draco Malfoy, and Harry Potter. I have enjoyed my first day of classes so far, with one exception. One of my Housemates, Pansy Parkinson, attacked Hermione as we were headed to Lunch. Professor Snape dragged the girl away before things could escalate too far, but the damage was still done. Luckily all she ended up doing was slapping Hermione, but it was still uncalled for. All Hermione had been doing was talking to Draco. I think the attack honestly had more to do with who Hermione is as opposed to what she was doing. Hermione is a Muggleborn and Parkinson seemed to take great offence to this, even going so far as to call Hermione a Mudblood. I was shocked and angry at this display and I wish there was more I could do for Hermione, but I'll have to just settle for continuing to be her friend. Other than that unpleasant situation things have been going good. I hope this letter finds you well._

 _Your Grandson,_

 _Neville Longbottom_

As Augusta finished reading the letter she had received from Neville she began to think. She had hoped that Neville would be in Gryffindor, but knew that the boy had to walk his own path. She was glad that Neville was making friends, especially with the Potter boy. The attack on Miss Granger concerned her. The fact that a Muggleborn was sorted into Slytherin was something that amazed her, but she knew that the girl would have many enemies. She did not interact much with the Parkinson's, but she did know people who did. She would make it known to these people that she took high offence to what had happened at the school. This would probably put enough pressure on the elder Parkinson's to insure that they got their errant daughter in line. She would have to write back to Neville and make sure to tell him to invite his friends over during the Holidays. Neville was making some good connections and as his guardian it was her job to help him make the most of those connections.

Blaise's Letter:

 _Dear Mother,_

 _Things are going well so far at school. I have been sorted into Slytherin House and have made friends with some of my Housemates. I also met a Mr. Ethan Carver who mentioned having done some business with you when he dropped off his daughter on the Express. I should tell you that one of my friends is a Muggleborn witch. I do not know your personal feelings about Muggleborns, but with my teachings on the Old Ways I see no problem with being associated with her. In fact Hermione is actually quite brilliant when it comes to Magic. The only negative thing that has happened so far was Hermione being attacked. Pansy Parkinson, one of the idiot Purebloods, decided to take it upon herself to physically assault Hermione on our way to Lunch today. Professor Snape took the girl away, but Parkinson still had the nerve to assault a friend of House Zabini in my presence. The Parkinson family should pay for this slight and I leave it in your very capable hands to see that the Parkinson family feels our displeasure._

 _Your Son,_

 _Blaise Zabini_

Mariana finished reading the letter and was amused at having basically been given an order by her son. Even without the order Mariana would have made life difficult for the Parkinson's just from hearing what had occurred, but it pleased her that Blaise was willing to stand up for his allies. It seemed the boy had truly learned his lessons well. She remembered meeting with Ethan Carver he had been conducting some business on behalf of House Valaris, which would mean that Blaise is at least acquainted with the Valaris heiress. She wondered who else her son considered a friend and was actually beginning to see that she had made the right choice in sending Blaise to Hogwarts.

Harry's Letter:

 _Dear Mr. Carver,_

 _I received a letter this morning telling me that you are now my guardian. I am in Slytherin House with your daughter, Cressida, and thought it would be good to write to you. I am looking forward to meeting you. Cressida, Blaise and Hermione all say that you are a good person and I can tell you that a good person is what I really need in my life. My Muggle family was not very kind to me, so almost any home would be better. I should tell you now that you shouldn't trust the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, but our Head of House, Professor Severus Snape, is trust worthy. I've been told that you know about us and can tell you that Professor Snape does as well. I hope we can get the guardianship finalized before Dumbledore sticks his nose into my business again. Cressida told me that I should let you know that our friend Hermione, who I believe you met on the train, was attacked at Lunch today. Pansy Parkinson yanked her away from Draco by her arm and then slapped her across the face while calling her a Mudblood. I don't know if there is anything you can do about it, but you should know that Pansy was lucky that Professor Snape dragged her away to his office before any of us responded. I don't know what would have happened, but it would not have been good. Other than that everything is going well. Again, I hope to meet with you soon._

 _Harry Potter_

Ethan read the letter from his young charge and couldn't help but feel a little proud of the boy. He is already identifying who his allies and enemies are and it sounds like he is getting along with the other young dragons. He had a feeling that there was more to the story about the attack on Miss Granger than Harry had written, but he figured Sida might have a bit more detail. He also hoped that Sida would let him know who the other dragons were. At least he now knew which House Harry and Sida were in so he could get the goblins to set up a time for him to meet with Harry. He agreed with Harry that time was of the essence if they were going to get around Dumbledore.

Cressida's Letters:

 _Dear Dad,_

 _I met a few more interesting people on the train after you left. You, of course, met Blaise and Hermione. I also met three other boys. Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy, and Harry Potter. I just found out this morning that Harry will be coming to live with us. This makes me very happy. Harry's previous family were as horrible as some of the families that I had to stay with except no one ever took Harry away when it became too much. He needs a good family so that is what we have to be for him. Anyway, me and my new friends have all been sorted into Slytherin House and had a very interesting meeting with Professor Snape, our Head of House. Needless to say Professor Snape is now in on the secret, and apparently is a follower of the Old Ways. Draco said his Mother, Narcissa, knows as well. Don't trust Professor Dumbledore because he is the one who placed Harry in such a bad home and didn't even check on him once. Hermione, the bushy haired girl from the train, was attacked today at Lunch by a girl named Pansy Parkinson. Parkinson yanked her away from Draco in the Entrance Hall, just outside of the Great Hall, and slapped her while calling her a Mudblood. This isn't the first time we've had to deal with Parkinson. She has been nasty to us since we met her on the train and she keeps trying to get Draco by himself. Both myself and Draco have made it clear that we want nothing to do with her but she keeps bothering us, and has started attacking our friends. If she continues like this I will hurt her. She was lucky that Professor Snape was there this afternoon, or I would have torn her to pieces. I know you've said that we have some dealings with the Parkinson's and I think we should end those deals and cut ties with them. Maybe then Pansy will get the picture and I won't have to resort to violence. Well, I hope you're doing okay Dad and I hope I get a chance to see you when you meet with Harry._

 _Love,_

 _Cressida Valaris_

As Ethan finished Sida's letter he was finally able to fill in some of the blanks. Apparently this Parkinson girl had, in only two days, made it onto Sida's enemy list. He also noted that Headmaster Dumbledore also made this list, and from what he could tell so had Harry's former family. Of course, any enemy of his Daughter's was an enemy of his as well. It was also likely that his Mother would become enemies with the same people for the same reasons. He was glad that Sida hadn't resorted to violence yet, they had been working on that with Sida. He knew, though, that it was only a matter of time before Sida lashed out at the Parkinson girl. He was glad Sida took the news of him becoming Harry's guardian so well. He had worried that she wouldn't. He thought about Sida's suggestion and decided that instead of completely cutting ties with Parkinson, he would threaten to cut ties with the man first and see if that prompted him to get his child under control. If that didn't work then he would wash his hands of the family and watch them crumble.

 _Dear Grandmother,_

 _I am doing well here at Hogwarts and have been sorted into Slytherin House. I made some friends on the train and they were all sorted into Slytherin as well. There are some horrible bullies here at Hogwarts, like this one girl named Pansy Parkinson who slapped my friend Hermione because she is a Muggleborn. I know from what you've taught me about the Old Ways that a person's Blood Status doesn't mean anything and it makes me mad that so many people care so much about something so silly. One of the Professors took Pansy away right after she slapped Hermione, but do you think Magic might punish her as well? I'm not sure if what she did would warrant a punishment from Magic, but I hope she does get punished in some way. I love you and I miss you._

 _Your Granddaughter,_

 _Cressida Valaris_

Gretchen read the letter from her Granddaughter and felt quite proud of her. Not only was she making friends, but she seemed to truly understand her lessons on the Old Ways. She would have to speak to her son about the situation with the Parkinson family. If their daughter was any indication of what that family believed then it would be best to steer clear of them, least they get caught in any kind of backlash from the punishment that would surely be heaped upon that family.


	17. Fallout and Plotting

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 17: Fallout and Plotting

Tuesday had come and gone with little to no incidents. The young Slytherins had a bit of a run in with the first year Gryffindors and Rat Boy, who it turns out was named Ron Weasley, had tried to get Harry to ditch the rest of them and become his best friend but Harry just ignored him. Weasley had tried to challenge Draco to a wizards duel, but Draco declined. Weasley tried to force Draco to comply, but Neville stepped in and told Weasley that he could show up for a duel if he liked but no one from Slytherin would be there. What they didn't tell Weasley was the reason they would not be there was because the Slytherins had Astronomy at Midnight. It turns out Weasley had decided to show up anyway and got caught out after curfew, losing House Points and earning himself, and his Housemates Finnegan and Thomas, detention for the rest of the week. The Slytherins couldn't help but laugh when they heard the news, especially since they had walked right past the Gryffindors on their way back to the Common Room after class let out and got to see them go red with anger and embarrassment when they were told why the Slytherins were not in trouble for being out after curfew.

Wednesday morning turned out to be even more entertaining than anticipated for the whole school. Pansy received a Howler from her parents. They screamed at her about dishonoring the family name and that if she did anything similar again they would pull her from Hogwarts and would have her homeschooled by her least favorite Great Aunt. It was amusing to see the girl pale as her parents voices echoed around the Great Hall. The Howler wasn't the only piece of mail that Pansy received. She seemed to get letters from many other people as well. From the way she looked it was probably other members of her family chewing her out as well. It seemed that Pansy was just beginning to feel what it was to anger five heirs of Ancient and Noble families.

Pansy was not alone in getting many letters from concerned parents and guardians. The Head of Slytherin House, Professor Severus Snape, also received many letters. The Parkinson's were demanding to know why a filthy Mudblood was in the same dorm as their daughter. The Grangers wanted to know what was being done to protect their child and how the Parkinson girl was being punished for the attack on their daughter. Lucius Malfoy expressed feigned outrage that such an attack could occur. Narcissa Malfoy wrote that he should keep a closer eye on the Parkinson girl lest she push Granger and her friends too far, even going so far as to drop hints that she knew the true nature of the children. A letter from Ethan Carver, Father of Cressida Valaris and guardian of Harry Potter, hinted at the same. Severus would have to investigate this farther. If these two parents knew the truth about their children they could be a valuable resource for him. He also received a letter from Miss Valaris' Grandmother who expressed genuine outrage that such a young child would be physically assaulted while at school. There was also a letter from Madam Longbottom, Neville's Grandmother, who also expressed her outrage over the incident and threatened him with bodily harm should anyone attack her Grandson in such a manner while under his watch. Blaise Zabini's Mother, Mariana, expressed concern over the apparent lack of discipline at Hogwarts and threatened to pull Blaise from school should this oversight on his part not be corrected. It was as if the woman felt that he was the one to blame for Pansy's behavior and not the girl herself. He was just thankful that he had not received any Howlers; he had enough of a headache already.

The last letter that he read was from Gringotts Bank requesting a meeting to be set up between Harry Potter and his new guardian, Ethan Carver. This request was easy enough to grant, but he knew he would have to keep the meeting secret from the Headmaster. He resolved to wait until the end of the day and then Floo from his office to Gringotts to set up the meeting for this weekend at the Bank.

The kids had all received letters as well. They were congratulated on their sorting, which was a relief to some, and were assured that action would be taken over Hermione's attack. Hermione had even received letters from Mr. Carver and Mrs. Malfoy that consoled her as much as her own parent's letter had and encouraged her to stick close to the others and not to let anyone bring her down. It meant a lot to Hermione to read their kind words and know that she had adults that knew about her and supported her. Ethan had also encouraged Sida to get the other kids to alert Gringotts about their status so that the goblins could offer them aid as well. She decided to talk to the others about it soon but for now they had to get to Herbology. The Slytherins, except Pansy, all felt much better that morning as they made their way to the Greenhouses. Pansy was feeling hurt and angry over the fact that she was getting in trouble over some jumped up little Mudblood who didn't know her place and decided that she would get the girl back one way or another.

Herbology and History went by smoothly and the kids quickly stopped by the Dorms to switch books before heading back up to the Great Hall for Lunch. Lunchtime seemed to be the time for trouble, however. As the first year Slytherins were heading to their table after entering the Great Hall they were accosted by Rat Boy, who was upset about getting in trouble the night before.

"Where do you slimy snakes think you're going?" Weasley shouted as he stomped over to them.

"To our table to eat Lunch." Sida said while rolling her eyes.

"Not before I teach you all a lesson. I got in trouble last night because of you bunch of cowards." The red head shouted at them.

"No you got in trouble because you were out after curfew. I told you we would not show up for your stupid duel. It's your own fault you were out when you shouldn't have been." Neville stated.

"No you only told me to show because you're all a bunch of cowards and were too scared to face me." Ron snapped.

"Wrong! We didn't show because we had class. Well that and we actually have brains and knew there was a very likely chance that we would get in trouble. You know some of us actually follow the rules." Sida snapped, getting irritated by the idiot who was keeping her from eating.

"Is there a problem Mr. Weasley." Professor Snape drawled as he approached the group of first years.

"Yeah these slimy snakes of yours got me in trouble last night." Ron snapped.

"From what I understand you were caught out of your Dorm after curfew. My students had nothing to do with your poor choices, so I suggest you take your seat Mr. Weasley lest I feel tempted to punish you further." Professor Snape suggested to the angry Gryffindor.

"It's all your fault Malfoy. You, Valaris, and Longbottom will pay for this. Harry can't you see how bad they are. It's not too late, mate. You could still get resorted and join me in Gryffindor, away from these slimy snakes. You're better than they are." Ron fumed.

"For your information snakes aren't actually slimy. Their skin feels dry, silky, and smooth like a leather belt." Hermione said.

"Nobody asked you know-it-all." Ron snapped.

"Actually I found that information quite interesting. Thank you Hermione. Oh, and I have no interest in being resorted, being in Gryffindor House, or in being your friend. I already have several good friends and you keep insulting them. So, for the last time, shove off." Harry said and then turned and made his way to the Slytherin table with his friends, leaving a fuming Ron Weasley behind.

Rat Boy quickly stomped back over to Gryffindor table and sat back down. He would show those slimy snakes who was who and would show Harry that he belonged in Gryffindor with him as his best friend in the process. The Headmaster had promised him that once Harry was his friend he would get access to Harry's money and he wanted that money. His older brothers all glared at him. He was making a disgrace of himself and Gryffindor House. They resolved to write to their Mother and Father and let them know what their idiot brother was doing.

The Headmaster had watched the whole confrontation and couldn't help by regret trying to use the Weasley boy. The boy was clearly too stupid to realize that he had lost. If Harry had been in Gryffindor he could have used the dimwitted boy to keep tabs on Harry, but with Harry in Slytherin it was time to look at other options. The Parkinson girl might be his way in. He had no doubt that the girl's attack on the Granger girl would have severe consequences for her family. Perhaps the promise of becoming Lady Potter would be enough to get her under his control. So long as he was able to place the boy with one of the families he controlled, such as the Weasleys, he would be able to make the necessary arrangements. He would visit the Weasleys this weekend and start the application process with them then.

After Lunch everyone went about the rest of their day with no further incidents. The older Weasley brothers wrote their letters home and sent them off. They also wrote notes to Harry apologizing for their brother's horrible behavior. Most people didn't know this but the Weasley family were actually Vassals of the Potter family and as such owed their allegiance to the Potters. This had been drilled into the older boys, but had not yet been taught to Ron or little Ginny. As such the three older boys knew that they would have to have a long talk with Ronald about what was appropriate and inappropriate behavior concerning Harry Potter. The sooner the better lest Ron make a true enemy of young Harry and get the family in more trouble than they could handle. The Weasley family didn't often mess around with politics, but this was one of the rare times that they did.

Severus Snape stuck to his plan and Flooed to Gringotts as soon as his last class was done for the day. He made sure to bring the letter he had received with him. As soon as he arrived at the Bank he made his way to the closest teller. Severus stated why he was there and presented the letter with the request and was escorted back to the office of Account Manager Grimclaw.

"Master Snape I had not thought that you would respond to our request in person." Grimclaw stated as the wizard took a seat before his desk.

"I rather thought you would want to keep this request private. Had I responded by owl I have no doubt that it would have been intercepted." Severus replied.

"Indeed the Headmaster does like to play his games does he not?" Grimclaw stated with a knowing look.

"Indeed, which brings me to my response. I have no problem granting this request, however I do not feel that it would be appropriate to have this meeting at the school. I would suggest having the meeting here if that is agreeable. I can easily bring Mr. Potter through the Floo in my office." Severus stated.

"That would probably be for the best. We could arrange a meeting for this weekend if that would be easier. I would also recommend bringing Miss Valaris. I know Mr. Carver would most likely wish to see her and it might put young Mr. Potter more at ease to have a friend with him." Grimclaw replied.

"They actually have most of Friday afternoon free, so long as the children are back before dinner Albus would be none the wiser. It would be better to get everything settled before this weekend. I have found that Albus plans to try and interfere with Mr. Potter's placement this weekend, so the sooner this meeting happens the better." Severus informed Grimclaw.

"I agree. I will inform Mr. Carver at once. Mr. Potter is a very special child, as is Miss Valaris, he needs to go to a home that will understand him and his needs." Grimclaw stated.

"You know don't you?" Severus asked in shock.

"Yes, and it seems you do as well. How did you discover the secret?" Grimclaw said with suspicion. He had warned the children about telling just anyone.

"I was pulled into Mr. Potter's mindscape where I met six of the Seven. As a practitioner of the Old Ways I have been studying the information that is known about the Seven ever since." Severus stated.

"You have actually met them. Astonishing, this ability must come from them being together again. I wonder how much stronger they will be when all Seven have gathered." Grimclaw said in both shock and awe. To think the man before him had seen and spoken to the Ancient Ones.

"It was quite the site I assure you. I believe that the power boost also comes from them being at Hogwarts, where the spirits were trapped for so long." Severus said.

"That is quite possible. If you are able I would ask that you bring the other children as well. We goblins will be able to offer the children better protection once we have identified them." Grimclaw told the man.

"I will see if they are willing to come. It may be critical in one case, but I will not get into much more detail about that. It is not my place to give specifics, but be assured that I will speak to the children about coming on Friday. I can guarantee Mr. Potter and Miss Valaris will be here; the others will have to decide for themselves." Severus replied.

"Very good, I should let you know that Mr. Carver is well aware of Miss Valaris and Mr. Potter as well as two others that he met on the train. He was told in this very office when he met Miss Valaris for the first time." Grimclaw stated.

"I received a letter that hinted that he might know. One of the other parents hinted that they knew as well." Severus informed the goblin.

"How interesting. I would ask more but I have the feeling that you will not answer me until you have permission to. If there is nothing further I will begin arranging the meeting for this Friday. All you will need to do is Floo in as soon as the children are free and we will take care of the rest." Grimclaw said.

Grimclaw and Severus said their goodbyes and Severus headed back to Hogwarts. If the Headmaster inquired about Severus' absence he would just tell him that he had a meeting with his own Account Manager, trusting that the goblins would back him up should the Headmaster inquire with them. Severus couldn't help but think that things were beginning to get interesting, even without the Headmaster's scheming and plotting.


	18. First Flight And Gaining Allies

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 18: First Flight And Gaining Allies

The first years were a combination of excited and worried when Thursday rolled around. Today was the day they would be taking their first Flying lessons. Hermione and Neville were both incredibly nervous about flying. Harry and Cressida were equal parts nervous and excited. Blaise and Draco were just plain excited because they had flown before. The dragons reminded the children that as dragons themselves flying was in their nature. This worked to calm any remaining fears that the children had and as the time drew closer for the Flying lesson their confidence grew.

After Lunch that day they headed down to the Common Room to drop off their bags before the lesson. Since they had the time they also worked on their homework together. Twenty minutes before the lesson was due to start they left the Common Room and made their way out onto the Grounds for their lesson. The Slytherins were the first to arrive and were followed shortly by the Gryffindors. Weasley tried to goad Draco into a fight but was ignored. When Madam Hooch arrived a few minutes later and instructed them to stand by a broom they did as they were told. Once everyone was standing beside a broom she began the lesson.

"Alright now that everyone is standing by a broom I want you make sure you are standing to the left of your broom. Then I want you to hold your right hand over your broom and say, Up!" Madam Hooch instructed.

"Up!" The students said as soon as they had arranged themselves. Some brooms shot straight up, some slowly drifted up and, in Ron Weasley's case, one broom smacked their rider in the face. A few students had some trouble getting their brooms to rise off the ground, mostly due to nerves, but soon everyone had a broom hovering in their hand.

"Now, once you have a good hold on your broom, I want you to swing your leg over and mount. Make sure to keep your grip tight so you don't slide off the end." Madam Hooch told the class. As students began mounting their brooms she walked around and corrected grips and postures. "Now, when I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off the ground, hard. Rise up a few feet, keep you broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly to descend and touch back down. On my whistle…three…two." Madam Hooch stated, she never got to finish her countdown because Lavender Brown, of Gryffindor, shot up into the air on two and began to lose control of her broom.

"Help! I can't stop it! Help!" Lavender cried as her broom kept rising and began zooming about.

"Miss Brown, lean forward slightly. Lean forward!" Madam Hooch shouted the instructions at Lavender as the girl began to lose her grip on her broom. Lavender was about fifty feet in the air at this point and her broom gave a sudden lurch to the side. Lavender's leg was thrown over the broom and she was left dangling, with only her hands still on the broom.

"Help me! Please someone help me!" Lavender screamed as she began to lose her grip. She knew that if she fell she wouldn't make it.

Fueled by instinct, Harry shot up into the sky and began racing to where Lavender was barely holding on to her broom. Draco was just barely behind him. The two boys quickly made it over to the girl and managed to grab hold of her arms just as she lost her grip. With both of them holding on to a crying Lavender they made their way back to the group and quickly, and gently, descended back to the ground. Once Lavender's feet were able to firmly touch the ground they let go of her arms and then landed. Lavender had collapsed to the ground as soon as they let go and couldn't stop crying. Madam Hooch made her way over to Lavender to make sure she was okay.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy take twenty points each for Slytherin House for your actions here in class. Class is dismissed, dismount your brooms and leave them on the ground, come Miss Brown let's get you to the Hospital Wing." Madam Hooch said.

The rest of the class quickly did as instructed. The Slytherins all crowed around Harry and Draco and congratulated them. The Gryffindors didn't know what to do with themselves. They were glad that Lavender was alright but were a bit shocked that she had been saved by two Slytherins. They never would have thought that any Slytherin student would help a Gryffindor, even Ron Weasley had to stop thinking badly about the Slytherins, if only for a moment. It was Parvati Patil who finally managed to gather up her Gryffindor courage and made her way over to the gathered Slytherins, who, upon seeing Parvati approach them, stopped their celebrations and gave the girl their attention.

"I just wanted to thank Potter and Malfoy for what they did. If you hadn't have acted when you did Lavender would have gotten hurt or worse." Parvati said meaning every word.

"You don't have to thank us, we just did what anyone would do." Harry said. Draco nodded in agreement.

"It still means a lot to me that you acted so quickly. Lavender is my friend and I don't know what I would have done if she had been hurt." Parvati stated.

"Well I know I don't like to see girls get hurt. I was more than happy to help your friend. We should head back in now. When you see your friend again let her know that we're glad she is okay." Draco said. The Slytherins then began to head back into the school.

"I will." Parvati called out as they were leaving. She made her way back to the rest of the Gryffindors and they returned to the castle as well.

By dinner time everyone had heard about what had happened during the Slytherin/Gryffindor Flying lesson. Lavender even came by the Slytherin table at dinner to thank Harry and Draco herself. The school was a bit shocked that two Slytherins would take it upon themselves to save a Gryffindor, even the staff. The Headmaster was pleased that the Potter boy seemed ready to rush into danger to save another student and was pleasantly surprised that the Malfoy boy had joined him. He began to think that it was perhaps a good thing that Harry had been sorted into Slytherin as he seemed to be turning the children from Dark families back to the Light. Professor McGonagall was grateful to the two boys for saving one of her young lions and had awarded each boy an additional ten points each in gratitude. Professor Snape, while glad that the Brown girl was unharmed, wanted to knock each boy upside the head for putting themselves in such danger. He told all six of the dragon children to come to his office once dinner was over. He needed to lecture the boys on safety and tell them all about the meeting on Friday.

Once dinner was over the six children made their way to their Head of House's office. Harry and Draco had a feeling they were about to be told off, but didn't know why the others were being called in as well. The other children figured that Professor Snape must have something dragon related to talk to them about. Professor Snape let the children into his office when they knocked and told them to take a seat. Once the children were settled he began by telling off Harry and Draco.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, while I am glad that Miss Brown is unharmed I need you to understand that what you both did today was incredibly foolish. Any manner of things could have gone wrong and then, not only would Miss Brown have been injured, but both of you could have been injured as well." Professor Snape started.

"We're sorry if we caused you worry Professor, but in that moment we couldn't have acted any other way. It was as if we didn't have control of what we were doing and were just acting on instinct. Bran says it's because the Great Dragons were the protectors of the world and because we are part Great Dragon we could not sit by and watch an innocent be harmed." Harry explained.

"I suppose that makes sense in a way, but next time try to think before you act. If one of you had handed your broom over to Madam Hooch she could have rescued the girl as well. Failing that Madam Hooch is an accomplished witch and could have used magic to help protect Miss Brown as she fell. Magic itself could have come to Miss Brown's aid as well. All I ask is that you think ahead of what could happen to yourselves should something go wrong." Professor Snape lectured.

"We can't make any promises Professor, but we will try to think ahead if something like this happens again." Draco said.

"I suppose that is the best I can expect. Dragons are creatures of instinct and if your instincts tell you to do something you are likely to do it regardless. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I called all of you here. There is going to be a meeting at Gringotts on Friday after your Herbology class. The meeting was originally just for Mr. Potter and his guardian to meet, but the goblins have requested that you all come so they can identify you and offer you aid. The choice to attend this meeting is yours and should you choose to attend you will meet here in my office after Herbology tomorrow." Professor Snape told them.

"I think it would be a good idea for all of us to meet with the goblins. Plus you would all get to meet my Dad and he could help us as well." Sida said.

"I agree with Sida, meeting with the goblins is a good idea. I wonder if we should invite my Mother as well. She knows about us and has connections that could help us as well." Draco added his thoughts.

"Yes, your Mother had hinted at knowing about you all in a letter I received from her after the incident with Miss Parkinson." Professor Snape mused.

"I think it would be a good idea to invite your Mother Draco. That way almost everyone involved will be there and we will all be on the same page." Hermione said.

"Yeah, the only one missing would be whoever the seventh dragon is." Blaise said.

"Very well. I will speak to your Mother tonight Draco. It will be quicker and more secure, otherwise this information might fall into the wrong hands." Professor Snape told them.

The Professor then dismissed the children and they left his office after saying their goodbyes. As soon as the children were gone Severus Flooed to Malfoy Manor to inform Narcissa Malfoy about the meeting the next day. Narcissa agreed to meet them at Gringotts the next day and Severus apparated to Gringotts from there. He informed Grimclaw that the children had agreed to come and that Narcissa would be coming as well. Grimclaw told him that he would be ready for them tomorrow and that Ethan would be there as well. Severus then returned to Hogwarts, eager for tomorrow's meeting.

Friday morning was the first Potions class for the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years. Due to Harry and Draco's rescue the day before the Gryffindors were less inclined to bother the Slytherins as they waited for the classroom to be opened. Once the dungeon doors opened the kids all made their way inside of the classroom and took their seats, still separated by House but not out of hostility. Professor Snape swept into the classroom and began the class.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those select few, who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death. That is if you're not as big a group of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." Professor Snape said while looking around the room. He looked over at the Gryffindors and found that Weasley, Finnegan, and Thomas were not paying any attention and were instead whispering to each other.

"Mr. Weasley, since you don't seem to need to pay attention to what I'm saying, perhaps you could tell me what I would get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Professor Snape asked.

"Umm…tea?" Weasley asked in return. Several of the children snickered at this response.

"No. Mr. Finnegan, how about you tell me where to find a bezoar." Professor Snape snapped.

"In the cupboard?" Finnegan asked, unsure if he was right or if he would get yelled at.

"No. Mr. Thomas, you must know what the difference is between Monkshood and Wolfsbane is, surely."

"No Professor, I don't." Thomas replied.

"Well then I suggest you all pay attention and quit whispering like a group of old biddies catching up on the latest gossip." Professor Snape snapped at the boys.

"For those who care to know adding powder root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood results in a powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death; a bezoar is located in the stomach of a goat; Monkshood and Wolfsbane are the same plant, which is also known as Aconite." Professor Snape told the class. "You should all be writing this in your notes." He added as he noticed that everyone was just sitting there. The Slytherins already had parchment, quills, and ink out and began to scribble down their notes. The Gryffindors had to scramble for parchment, quills, and ink before they could do the same. As this was going on Professor Snape made his way to the front of the classroom and used magic to put instructions on the board for the Potion that they would be making in class that day.

The students began to get their ingredients as soon as the instructions were done and they were finished with their notes. As soon as all of the students had their ingredients they began to brew the Boil Cure Potion. Everything was going well until the end of the period. Pansy didn't read the instructions correctly and added the porcupine quills before taking the potion off of the fire. This caused her cauldron to melt and for her and poor Millicent Bulstrode to be covered in the botched potion. Wherever the potion touched skin broke out in painful boils. Professor Snape was furious and sent both girls to the Hospital Wing after docking Pansy five points for sheer incompetence.

The rest of the day was fairly event free and before they knew it Herbology was over and it was time to head to Professor Snape's office. They quickly ran by the Dorms to drop off their school bags and change their clothes. It wouldn't be wise to be seen running around Gringotts in their Hogwarts uniforms, word might get back to the Headmaster and they wanted to avoid the old man as much as possible. Once they were all ready they made their way to Professor Snape's office. Professor Snape quickly ushered them inside and told them that they would be Flooing to Gringotts from there and once the meeting was done they would Floo back. The kids gathered around the fireplace and each took a handful of Floo Powder as it was passed around. Blaise went first and was followed by Hermione. Draco went next and then Sida went after him. Harry went after her, then Neville, and finally Severus went last. Once everyone was in the Bank and cleaned up they made their way, as a group, to the nearest teller. Severus explained that they were here for a meeting with Account Manager Grimclaw and the group was quickly ushered into the meeting room that was set aside for them. Grimclaw was waiting there for them, but neither Ethan nor Narcissa had arrived yet.

"Please take a seat everyone." Grimclaw stated as they entered the room. The children quickly settled down into chairs around the table. Severus waited until all of the children had settled and then took a seat himself. "Well I only know a couple of you so why don't we make some introductions while we are waiting. I'll start, my name is Grimclaw and I am an Account Manager here at Gringotts Bank."

"I'm Harry Potter, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, and my dragon is Bran." Harry said.

"I'm Cressida Valaris, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Valaris, and my dragon is Andraste." Sida said.

"I'm Hermione Granger, and my dragon is Brigantia." Hermione said.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy, and my dragon is Louarn." Draco said.

"I'm Blaise Zabini, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Zabini, and my dragon is Vercobret." Blaise said.

"I'm Neville Longbottom, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom, and my dragon is Taranis." Neville said.

"I am Severus Snape, Potions Master and Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Severus said.

"Well now that we have that done I would like to extend the hand of friendship to you six children. The friendship offered here is not just my personal friendship but the friendship of the entire Goblin Nation. This is offered with full permission from the current Goblin King Ragnok." Grimclaw stated. Severus was shocked as it was unheard of for any goblin to extend any form of friendship toward anyone other than another goblin. The children didn't know that what was offered was so monumental but knew that they could trust the goblins.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we gladly accept your offered friendship." Neville stated. The other children merely nodded their assent.

The children chatted with Grimclaw and each other while they waited for Ethan and Narcissa to arrive. About twenty minutes later the door to the room opened and Narcissa Malfoy entered the room. Draco ran and greeted his Mother and then introduced her to the other children. Narcissa was pleased to meet the other five dragon children and learn a bit more about the dragons. Another ten minutes went by before the door opened one last time and Ethan entered the room. Sida ran to her Father and hugged him in greeting before running back to the table and grabbing Harry. She dragged Harry over and introduced him to Ethan first. Ethan had already met Blaise and Hermione so he greeted them. Sida introduced Ethan to Neville and Draco. Narcissa and Severus introduced themselves before Sida had the chance. Once everyone was seated again Grimclaw decided to start the meeting.

"Now that we are all here I believe it is time to start the meeting; the children and Master Snape only have so much time after all. Everyone in this room is aware that the six children here have been gifted with the spirits and magic of the Great Dragons and as such are technically part dragon. What you may not know is that, in time, the children will be more closely related to dragons than humans. They will even be able to take on a dragon form eventually. The goblins were the ones who helped the Great Dragons create the ritual needed to save them in the past and as such we know more of what to expect than any others. The Goblin Nation offered the children friendship so that we might be able to help them as they begin to go through these changes. The changes will begin as each child turns twelve. The first changes shouldn't be too noticeable, mostly an increase in appetite and growth rate. The sudden increase in growth rate may cause some growing pains but the pain should be minor. However, should the pains become severe you children should turn to any of the adults in this room for help. Do not attempt to take standard pain relieve potions, as they will not be effective. Have one of the adults notify the goblins at the Bank and we will provide the appropriate potions." Grimclaw informed them.

"I wonder if I might be able to help with the potions that the children will need. It would be easier for me to brew them at the school and have them on hand should the children need them." Severus stated.

"The potions we have here were made many years ago by Merlin himself and have been keep under stasis to preserve them. The recipe is in a book that was hidden at Hogwarts and the children will be the only ones who can find the location. Each Founder and Merlin created separate entrances to, what they called, the Chamber of Hope where they placed many books and objects that they believed the children would find useful for when they eventually came to Hogwarts." Grimclaw told them.

"I have never heard of this Chamber of Hope before. The only hidden chamber I have ever heard of at Hogwarts was Slytherin's fabled Chamber of Secrets." Narcissa stated.

"The Chamber of Secrets is indeed real and it is Slytherin's entrance to the Chamber of Hope. Merlin's entrance is called the Observatory, Hufflepuff's is the Den, Ravenclaw's is the Heart of Knowledge, and Gryffindor's is the Hall of Courage. Merlin and the Founders entrusted the goblins with this information so that we might pass it down to the children who had been deemed worthy of bringing back the power of the Great Dragons." Grimclaw said.

"So the children will need to find these entrances in order to find the Chamber of Hope and have access to the resources left to them by Merlin and the Founders?" Severus asked.

"Yes, I wish there was more help we could offer in this regard but all we were given were the names of the entrances and basic information on the Chamber of Hope." Grimclaw stated.

"That's all well and good but I'm more concerned about these changes you said the children were going to go through. Just how many changes will there be and how painful are they?" Ethan asked.

"The changes will begin on the child's twelfth birthday and will continue until the child reaches their magical majority at seventeen. The pains should not be too terrible until age sixteen when they will gain the ability to take on dragon form. Unlike an animagus transformation, this transformation will be excruciatingly painful at first, but this should be the most painful part of the transition from human to dragon. They will, of course, still be able to take on human form, but they will be more dragon than human in the end. We would recommend bringing the children to Gringotts the night before their sixteenth birthday so they can be placed in one of our large ritual rooms as the magical backlash would be noticeable if not contained." Grimclaw said.

"Is there any way to dull the pain of the first transformation so that the children don't have to suffer so much?" Narcissa asked.

"I'm afraid not, but if it helps you to know the children probably won't be conscious for very long once the transformation begins and as such won't suffer for long." Grimclaw answered.

"Are there any other changes we should look out for?" Ethan asked.

"The biggest physical change will be the transformation at sixteen, but there will be several mental and magical changes both before and after the transformation. The first change at twelve will increase the children's mental capacities, which may cause mild to severe headaches depending on how quickly the change happens. At thirteen the children's magical cores will expand so they may have issues with controlling their magic. At fourteen you should notice a dramatic increase in appetite, including an increased craving for rare meat, and they should begin to grow physically as well, in preparation of the transformation. This growth will appear as a normal growth spurt so it shouldn't set off any alarms with those who are not aware. Age fifteen could prove tricky if the children are not known to be athletic because there will be a dramatic increase in muscle growth, again in preparation of the transformation. At sixteen is the transformation; the children will also begin to seek out their mates. Each child will have at least two mates, depending on how powerful the child becomes. The purpose of the mates, other than of course procreation, will be to help ground the children's magic and minds. Without at least two mates to bring balance to the children's lives there is a great risk that they may go mad, but that can wait for now. The final changes will occur at age seventeen and will include another increase in magical power and mental capacities as well as the final bit of physical growth." Grimclaw informed them.

"Wow that's a lot to take in. I guess I get to be the guinea pig of sorts considering my birthday is first." Hermione said.

"When exactly is your birthday Miss Granger?" Severus asked.

"The nineteenth, Sir." Hermione answer.

"As in the nineteenth of September?" Narcissa asked, slightly shocked that they wouldn't have much time to prepare.

"Yes, Lady Malfoy." Hermione confirmed.

"Miss Granger you will report to my office first thing on the nineteenth, no matter if you feel fine or not. Miss Valaris I will count on you to inform me if Miss Granger is unable to leave the dormitory. Do you both understand?" Severus commanded.

"Yes, Professor." Hermione and Sida said in unison.

"The same goes for any of you who happen to have birthdays that fall within the school year." Severus added.

"Yes, Professor." All six children said in unison.

"I would like to be kept informed of the children's condition, if that would not pose a problem." Ethan stated.

"Yes, I would like to be kept informed as well." Narcissa added.

"It would, perhaps, be best if Master Snape sent any dragon related news on the children through us goblins. It would be much more secure that way." Grimclaw stated.

"Yes, I believe that would be best. We should all try to avoid any mention of these matters in owl post or over Floo. In person would be best, so long as everyone was checked for presence of Polyjuice or other means of spying. There are any number of factions out there that would use this information to harm the children so we must take every precaution." Severus said.

"I can agree to that." Narcissa said.

"I can as well." Ethan added.

"Then it is settled. I assume we don't need to remind you children to be careful of who you relate information to or where you discuss your situation?" Grimclaw stated.

"We know to be careful." Harry said.

"Very good." Grimclaw said with a nod.

"I guess we need to try and find the entrances when we get back to school. After classes and homework that is." Blaise said.

"Be careful and don't let the search distract any of you from your class work." Narcissa warned.

"It seems that the only thing left to settle, at the moment, is the matter of Mr. Potter's guardianship. Mr. Carver has agreed to become Mr. Potter's guardian so long as Mr. Potter accepts him as such, so do you accept Mr. Carver as your guardian Mr. Potter?" Grimclaw inquired.

"Yes, I do. It will be good be around people who actually want me around as opposed to my so-called family that hate me for not being normal." Harry said.

"Normal is overrated. I've always felt that it is better to be unique and be true to yourself than to try to conform to what society thinks is 'normal'." Ethan said to comfort Harry.

"An excellent philosophy in private, but we all must wear our masks in public." Narcissa added.

"That is very true, but not everyone has a talent for crafting and wearing masks." Ethan stated.

"If they did then everyone would be in Slytherin." Sida commented.

"Make no mistake Miss Valaris; just because a person is sorted into Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff doesn't mean that they don't wear a mask like those in Slytherin do. In fact some of them are even better at hiding their true nature than most Slytherins. Take Sirius Black for example; during school he was practically the poster boy for Gryffindor, but he still betrayed his best friend in the end." Severus said bitterly.

"With all due respect, Professor, I don't believe you know the truth. Sirius Black didn't betray my parents, Peter Pettigrew did. Pettigrew was their Secret Keeper not Black." Harry said.

"How can you be sure Mr. Potter, you were only a baby when your parents went into hiding." Severus said, if the boy was right then there was every possibility that Black was at least innocent of betraying the Potters.

"I may have only been a baby, but Bran is not. Bran could see everything I could and could understand what was going on. He is the one that made sure I knew what really happened to my family and he is the one who told me that Pettigrew was the traitor. He also said that Black should have been my guardian instead of the Dursleys, but that something must have happened to him after he handed me to Hagrid." Harry stated.

"Sirius Black was accused of betraying your parents, after killing Peter Pettigrew and thirteen Muggles that is." Severus replied.

"Well I can tell you that he didn't betray my parents. I can also tell you that I'm glad he killed the traitor Pettigrew, but I am sorry that those Muggles got caught up in his revenge. Innocents shouldn't have to die like that." Harry said.

"Now that I know what really happened I feel that I owe my cousin an apology. I have cursed his name for his betrayal and for bowing down to that creature that called himself Dark Lord, but I have been wrong all these years." Narcissa said.

"Shouldn't all of this have come out in his trial? He did get a trial didn't he?" Hermione asked.

"I honestly don't remember if he did or not. Back in those days there were so many trials that many of them were done quickly and quietly. I will have to stop by the Ministry and see if I can get a transcript. If what Harry says is true it should be noted in the transcripts, unless Sirius was in shock and didn't mention it." Narcissa said.

"I would like to see a copy of the transcript if I could. I think it would give me some closure." Harry commented.

"I can put in a request for you to have a copy sent to you. As your guardian it is my duty to see to your needs and if I play the orphan boy who wants closure card the Ministry will bend over backwards to fulfill the request, especially because you are the orphan." Ethan said.

"It's true Cornelius Fudge would probably personally deliver a copy if it meant that he got to meet you. Not to mention the publicity and goodwill he could garner, which would only serve to extend his career. You will find children that politicians will do just about anything to keep the good opinion of the public and the Minister for Magic is one of the most desperate politicians there is." Narcissa instructed.

They talked a little while longer and finished the paperwork that was needed to finalize Ethan as Harry's guardian. The time was quickly approaching for the children to head back to Hogwarts so they made their goodbyes. Ethan and Narcissa stayed behind to speak more with Grimclaw, but Severus and the children left to go back to Hogwarts. Grimclaw made sure to send the finalized paperwork off to the Ministry as the children left so that it would get filed before the end of the day. Severus and the children made it back just as it was time to head to dinner, so the children quickly went and changed back into their uniforms and went to dinner. They all had a lot to think about and time was running out. Soon the changes would begin and they didn't know if they were ready.


	19. Following Up

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. I'm just playing around in her sandbox for my own personal enjoyment and will receive nothing back (except reviews I hope).

Chapter 19: Following Up

Up until this past week Arthur and Molly Weasley had never had any major doubts about how they raised their children. All their children had tried their patience at one time or another, especially the twins, but for the most part they felt that their children were growing into good and decent people and knew how to behave. Then they had received a series of concerning letters from their boys who were still at school. Percy wrote to them of how Ron had insulted, and even threatened, several powerful young heirs, including their own liege lord Harry Potter. This was concerning by itself, but then both Fred and George had written about how they were concerned for their younger brother's welfare should he continue to antagonize the young Lords and Ladies. If Fred and George were concerned they knew it had to be serious. The most concerning letter, however, came from Ron himself. In the letter Ron not only defamed the young Malfoy heir, which was to be expected given the long-standing feud between the two houses, but also attempted to belittle the young Valaris heiress, the young Longbottom heir, the young Zabini heir, and another young girl named Granger. Ron kept ranting about how he was going to teach all of them a lesson for various reasons from refusing to be his friend to hating his pet rat.

They normally waited to give their children any kind of political instruction until after their first year at Hogwarts so that their children could interact with others freely without feeling the need to impress certain people and avoid others. However, it now looks like they should have started Ron's education early in that respect. They could not afford to have Ron pushing their allies away, which is exactly what he was doing. They were just thinking about ways that they could correct Ron's blunders when Albus Dumbledore decided to pay them a visit.

"Not that we aren't happy to see you Albus, but what brings you to the Burrow today? Don't you have to be at the school?" Arthur asked once Dumbledore had taken a seat after being invited in.

"I've come on rather important business concerning Harry Potter." Dumbledore claimed.

"What kind of business?" Molly asked, afraid that Ron had done something irreversibly stupid that could not be fixed.

"I'm sure you have both heard the rumors that Harry has been removed from the home of his Muggle relatives on grounds of abuse and I'm afraid that the rumors are quite true. It's hard to believe, I know. If I had known that they boy was not being cared for I would have removed him from the home long ago, but his relatives wanted no contact with the magical world and I wanted to respect their wishes." Dumbledore told them.

"Oh, that poor child! After what happened to his parents and what he did for all of us!" Molly exclaimed.

"Now of course, the poor young lad has no home and no family. I was hoping that the two of you might be kind enough to become Harry's new guardians. I cannot think of a better home for Harry than here in the Burrow." Dumbledore stated, convinced that they would agree to take the boy.

"As Vassals of House Potter we would be duty bound to ensure that young Harry is looked after, but we have heard that Harry has been having some problems with our Ron. I wouldn't want the poor boy to have to come into our home only to face the same problems that he is facing at school." Arthur said, hoping that Dumbledore would understand where he was coming from.

"I was not aware that the Weasleys were Vassals of House Potter and I'm sure that given time Harry and Ron would be able to work out their differences and become the best of friends." Dumbledore said to try and reassure the Weasleys. He needed them to agree to take the boy.

"Well if you think it is best we can give it a try. After all, every child deserves a good home." Arthur reasoned.

"Excellent, if we head to the Ministry now we should be able to get the matter sorted by the end of the day." Dumbledore said.

Dumbledore and the Weasleys agreed to meet up at the Ministry in one hour to begin the process of becoming Harry's guardians. What Dumbledore didn't realize, however, was that by the time he had convinced the Weasleys to take Harry in, the paperwork to make Ethan Carver Harry's guardian had already been finalized. Dumbledore was quite shocked when he was told that Harry Potter already had a new guardian when he inquired at the Ministry. Arthur and Molly were glad that someone had given the poor boy a home; Dumbledore was not. He had no idea who this Ethan Carver was but he was determined to find out. Who knew, maybe the man would be useful to him.

Dumbledore began to ask around and soon found out that Ethan Carver was the father of the last Valaris, as well as the son of Gretchen McKinnon. His father had been an American Wizard and apparently, the Carver family was rather important in that country. It was looking more and more likely that Carver would make an excellent new pawn in his game. The next move would be to get a meeting with the man. Both himself and Mr. Carver were incredibly busy men, so it would be difficult, but Albus was determined to turn Carver to his side.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Ministry Ethan Carver and Narcissa Malfoy were attempting to get a transcript of Sirius Black's trial. Attempting being the operative word, seeing as the trial records appeared to have been misplaced. At least that is what they were being told. They were both beginning to suspect that such a document didn't exist because there had been no trial. Just as they were beginning to get truly frustrated Magic seemed to show them favor. Amelia Bones, the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Office, had just come down to drop off some records for filing and Narcissa wasted no time getting the woman's attention.

"Madame Bones, could I have a word if you are not too busy?" Narcissa asked.

"I suppose I have a few minutes. How can I be of service?" Amelia responded.

"Mr. Carver, here, and myself were attempting to get a look at the transcript from my cousin Sirius' trial, but the record seems to have been misplaced. You see Mr. Carver has just become young Harry Potter's guardian and the poor boy had asked about what had happened to his parents. I think the child is seeking closure and it would be hard to give him that without finding out why my cousin did what he did; in his own words. I admit I'm quite curious about what might have been said in that courtroom myself." Narcissa explained.

"They records were probably just misfiled. I can look through the trial records from back then and see if I can't discover what other cases were being tried around the same time. The transcripts might have been filed in with another case. I'll get back to you both with what I find." Amelia said.

"Thank you very much Madame Bones. I'm sure that this will mean the world to Harry." Ethan said in response.

"I only hope that I can help the child get closure of the matter of his parent's deaths. I can tell you that my office has given the evidence we collected concerning his Muggle relations and their treatment of Harry over to our Muggle counterparts. They told us they will be investigating further and that it is likely that they will be bringing up charges against them. So, you can at least give him a little good news." Amelia stated.

"I am personally thrilled to hear it. Those monsters deserve everything that they have coming to them and more for what they did. Anyone who harms a child like that deserves to be punished." Ethan added.

"I think we can all agree on that." Narcissa remarked.

The three adults said their farewells and went on their way. Amelia had to get back to her office for some more work, Narcissa had to get back home before she was missed and Ethan had a meeting he had to get to. Narcissa and Ethan made sure to thank Mother Magic for sending just the right person to them at just the right time. Because if their suspicions were correct and Sirius did not receive the trail that he was entitled to, then you had better believe that Amelia Bones would see to it that he got his day in court.


End file.
